A/N: Okay! So, I've had this idea for a while, and I'm glad Voight isn't Erin's father in the show, or if he is we don't know, because I always thought that she wouldn't be like, "Yay I have a dad." it'd be like, "Wow, fuck you for not telling me, bye." I don't think she would've been happy, you know? So, here's my version of how she would've taken it.
Erin stood up from her desk, shutting her computer down and glancing at her phone to see a text from Jay.
Just ordered Thai, should get here when you do. Drive safe, I love you.
Her face lights up with a smile and she picks up her phone to reply.
I'm so hungry. I love you too.
You're always hungry.
She smirks at his response and puts her phone in her pocket. She's grateful that he's been beside her through everything, her mom being her usual crazy self and her dad, who isn't really her dad, treating her so awfully. Her dimples pop just thinking about just how strong her support system is, and she makes her way out of the vacant bullpen towards Voight's office.
He turns his head and his facial features soften into a smile. She smiles in return, leaning against the door frame.
"Aren't you getting tired, old man?" She says with a smirk, watching his smile drop, "It's late, you should go home."
He grunts in response and she chuckles. Her smile falters when she something feels off. He seems...anxious, she decides.
"You okay?" She asks, with curiosity and concern. He looks at her again and sighs with a sad look in his eyes.
"I need you to sit down," he says, his voice raspier than normal. She tilts her head in confusion and walks in farther, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She reaches over his desk and grabs his hand, and he wraps his around hers tighter. She's almost scared of what he has to say.
He sighs, "Jimmy Sanguinetti," he pauses, "is not your father."
Her eyebrows furrow and she shakes her head, wondering why he's telling her information he knows she already knows. He brings his other hand to cover hers, enclosing it in both of his. She looks down at their hands suspiciously and then back at his face.
"I told you a couple weeks ago that I've known Bunny since long before you were born," his voice cracks at the end of his sentence, and it all clicks into place for her. He doesn't even have to finish what he needs to say.
She slowly slides her hand out of his in realization and sits back in her chair, tears already forming in her eyes.
"You're not saying—" she mumbles, and the tears fall.
"I can't keep letting you tear yourself apart like this, not knowing who your biological father is." His throat grows tighter at each word, hating the fact that she has tears running down her face and he's the reason for them, "I met your mother undercover, you know how bad things get there, sometimes cops slip up."
She lets out a sob and covers her mouth, trying to contain it and failing. He closes his eyes and drops his head into his hands.
"You were so bad off when I took you in, I couldn't tell you then and—"
She interrupts him, "How long have you known?" she narrows her eyes and whispers so quietly he can barely hear it.
"I learned you were Bunny's kid, so I tested your DNA when I first arrested you. Your age and the timelines matched up." He whispers the last part and keeps his head down, afraid to see her reaction to the news. Her DNA was already in the system, and when he got the results he had to save her when no one else would. He had to save his only daughter.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asks, letting out another heart-wrenching sob.
"I don't know," he whispers, defeated. But he did. He couldn't tell her because he knew she would be upset that everyone knew. Camille knew. Justin knew. Al knows. Antonio knows. Platt now knows. All these years of knowing and loving this girl, this fearless detective, and they never told her. He couldn't tell her that because he knew she would never trust them again. Never trust him again.
"Erin—" he tries, but she interrupts again.
"I need some time." She puts her hands up defensively and stands up. "Give me furlough, fire me, I don't care. I need some time away from you right now." She wipes the tears from her cheeks and walks out, grabbing her coat and heading towards the stairs, ignoring the calls of her name behind her.
She gets her to her car and slams the door shut, reaching for her phone in her pocket and clicking the buttons until she finds Jay's number. He answers two rings later.
"Hey, babe—" He's interrupted by another one of her heart-wrenching sobs and his voice changes immediately from content to concern, "Erin, what's wrong? Er."
"It's Voight," she cries. She wipes her tears away stubbornly.
"Voight? Is he okay?" His voice is laced with concern.
"He's my father," she whispers, and he thinks he misheard. Sure, he's made jokes about her "dad" being overprotective but he was just kidding, and she knew that.
"What? Did Bunny tell you that?" He asks, thinking that if Bunny told her something, it's not exactly the first time she's told Erin her father was someone he's not.
"No, he did." She cries out again and his heart breaks that he's not there with her. "I'm coming home, I'll be there in twenty," she sniffles and ends the call without another word.
He sighs and slams his phone on the counter in frustration.
She walks up the steps to the third floor, rather than using the elevator, needing a distraction and then fishes for her keys in her pockets. She gets to the door marked '310' and slides the key in, opening the door and immediately smelling the Thai food and being wrapped in warm, muscular arms.
She instantly starts crying again and wraps her arms around him tight. He bends down to lift her up by her thighs and she wraps her legs around him, burying her wet face in his shoulder. He kicks the door closed and walks over to the couch, laying down so she's laying on top of him, crying into his chest.
"I don't understand why he couldn't tell me at the start. All of this could have been avoided," she sobs and soaks his shirt and all he can do right now is hold her tight.
"I know, I know." He couldn't say it was okay because it wasn't. He makes mistakes, sure, but this is one that he doesn't think Voight will ever recover from.
"I trusted him with my life and now I don't know who he is anymore." She cries into his chest for another hour and then eventually wears herself out. He gently picks her up and brings her to the bedroom, sliding her under the sheets and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
He goes to walk out of the bedroom but she calls out his name. He turns and walks to her side again.
"Stay." She closes her eyes after the statement but pulls on his hand so he is forced to get in bed with her.
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispers and kisses her soft lips quickly.
She falls asleep instantly, worn out from the continuous crying.
He sighs and attempts to sleep, but his anger keeps him up until midnight.
He wakes up for work at six and doesn't bother waking her, knowing she isn't going to work today. He gets ready in thirty minutes and heads out the door, intent on doing one thing before work starts.
He storms up the steps to the bullpen, passing Antonio and seeing Voight look up at him from his office and stand up, opening the door.
"Halstead—" He's cut off by Jay's fist slamming into his left cheek. He staggers a little but catches his balance on the chair. Jay hears a faint, "What the hell?" but he isn't paying attention.
"How could you do that to her? She trusted you! She loved you! Hell, she still does! You could have saved her from all this heartache if you had told her from the start, and I wouldn't have had to hold the woman I love all night and watch her wear herself out from crying!" He yells so loud the people downstairs likely heard them.
Jay goes towards him for another punch but feels Antonio's arms slide under his to pull him back from his boss, and he struggles against him, livid.
"Jay! Halstead, calm down!" Antonio yells into his ear and turns them around, unhooking his arms and pushing him toward the locker room. Halstead turns around again just to feel Antonio's hands push against him again, shoving him so hard he almost lost his balance. He turns around and storms into the locker room, his fist colliding with the blue metal of a locker that appears to be Ruzek's, making a dent.
Antonio follows him in and yells, "What the hell is wrong with you, man?"
He stands up and proceeds to Antonio, not stopping until they're chest to chest, glaring into Antonio's eyes.
"He's Erin's father, and he didn't tell her," he scoffs, "Some father!" He yells loud enough so he makes sure Voight can hear him.
He walks back over to the same locker, Ruzek's locker, and punches it once more, then sits down on the bench.
"Listen, you need to calm down. I know you're mad, but you could be out of a job." Antonio tried to reason with him. He lets out a breath, at least attempting to calm down, but then he hears her voice.
"Jay," she whispers, and she hurries over to him and cups his face, tilting it up so he can look at her, while he cups the backs of her thighs. Antonio exits the room at that moment. She looks tired, the bags under her eyes more defined, and she looks like she's been crying. A lot. He's reminded why she's crying and he moves his hands up to squeeze her hips in anger.
"Hey, stop. It's fine, I'll deal with it."
"It's not fine, he hurt you. Plus, I already did." He scoffs.
She furrows her eyebrows but then looks down at his hands, seeing the busted knuckles. She lets out a breath and then lifts his right hand up to inspect, walking to her locker and grabbing the small first aid kit.
She sits down and sets his hand on her knee, grabbing the rubbing alcohol pads and tearing one open. She cleans the split knuckles and he winces at the small sting it entails. She finds a wrap and secures his hand in it, placing a kiss on each knuckle when she's done.
"I have to go, I can't be here—" She's interrupted by Voight walking into the locker room.
"Both of you, my office. Now!" Voight leaves the room, infuriated, but neither seem to care. They slowly get up and walk into the bullpen, passing an oncoming Ruzek and Burgess.
"Damn, who died?" Ruzek jokes but falters when Erin sends a glare his way and Antonio shakes his head. He raises hands in defeat and proceeds to his desk.
Jay follows Erin into Voight's office and he sits down, leaving her to stand in the corner looking out the window. He can tell she's closed off by her crossed arms and avoiding eye contact. Voight can too.
"You," he says, addressing Jay, "desk duty until further notice. Get out." Jay sighs and stands up, looking at Erin one last time before exiting the room and closing the door.
Voight sighs and sits down at his desk, glancing at Erin.
"Do I need to sign something?" She continues staring out the window dreading being in the same room as him.
She hears him move some papers around and that's when she looks.
"I put you down for one week furlough, sign here to—"
"I want two," she interrupts.
"Er—" He tries.
"I want two. End of discussion or I'm leaving. You lied to me. I barely want to come here anymore. I want two weeks away from this place. Away from you," she finishes and walks out of the room, knowing he has to get all new paperwork done for her to sign. She passes Jay with a small smile but doesn't stop and proceeds out of the building. She felt his eyes on her until he couldn't watch her anymore.
Jay came home that night with the new paperwork, and he took it to Voight the next morning. She avoided him as long as she could, making it thirteen days before he came knocking on her front door. Jay wasn't there to tell him to leave, and she didn't have the energy. She opens the door and braces herself, not emotionally ready to have the conversation that awaits.
A/N: Part two will be up tomorrow!