Finally! I started this chapter ages ago and it's taken forever, and I'm not sure how many are still interested in reading it but here's the conclusion to this fluffy little story. Make no mistake, this is pure fluff and probably more predictable and cheesy than I usually write but my muse wanted her happily ever after. I hope you enjoy and it somehow makes up for, or at least eases the pain of last weeks news. Xoxo

/

"No!"

"JT," Jay warned

"Daddy, No!" James said again, raising his head and sticking out his chin.

Jay sighed. How Erin got through this without a fight he didn't know but every time Jay was on his own with their two year old son at bedtime it was the same deal. James refused to cooperate.

"James, its bedtime. Let's just get our pjs on okay?"

"NO! No bedtime!" James scream at Jay, slammed down the truck he'd been playing with and threw himself on the floor in a fit. Jay ran his fingers though his hair. Hair he felt like he was loosing by the minute.

He hated when James got like this. Erin said he had Jay's temper and that scared the shit out of Jay. He knew what kind of trouble his temper had got him into over the years, especially his teenage years. He shook his head, reminiscing wasn't gonna get his toddler off the floor. He wished Erin wasn't running late from work, she was the only one who could calm him down when he got like this. As soon as she put her hands on James, saying his name in a soothing tone, his whole body relaxed and he'd quiet right down. But she wasn't here and Jay had to get through this on his own.

Most days James was a happy go lucky energetic boy who loved to laugh and act silly with his dad. Erin often joked Jay was James favourite toy. Jay loved nothing more than to spend a Saturday morning playing on the floor with his son. Erin would snuggle in the couch behind them watching and laughing at them until they pulled her down and attacked her with tickles. Jay couldn't think of anything more beautiful then the sight of Erin and James faces flushed from laughter. But tonight James expression was all sour.

Jay sat on the floor near James and called his name softly but his voice didn't seem to penetrate James tantrum. Jay tried again, a little louder and reached out to touch his son. The contact startled James and Jay barely had time to duck before James plucked the discarded truck up and fired it at his father's head.

"Oh I don't think so," came a stern but raspy voice from behind Jay. James body stilled, his scream died on his lips, his eyes went big. Jay even froze in surprise at her arrival, the commanding tone in her voice had even him feeling like he should be making his way to the time out chair. Where the hell had she come from? "We do NOT throw our toys!" Erin exclaimed.

James ducked his head and Jay risked looking over his shoulder. Erin stood, face devoid of emotion, hand on hip, eyes glaring down at them. A look that terrified suspects in the interrogation room.

"Hey," Jay croaked, "I didn't hear you come in."

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have heard a 747 landing over that racket," she retorted sarcastically. "Let me guess, you told him it was bedtime?"

Jay nodded and James risked peaking up at his parents. Erin worked hard to keep her stern expression at the sight of sad blues eyes peaking up at her beneath the stray curls that hung a little too long across his forehead. Jay had begged her to cut James hair repeatedly but she just couldn't bring herself to get rid of the soft ringlets of caramel hair that covered James head. She wasn't ready for her baby boy to have a big kid hair cut.

"Sorry daddy," James whispered. Jay couldn't help but feel pride that the little guy already knew how to atone for his transgressions without prompting. Of course it didn't hurt that he was completely adorable while he repented.

"Thanks buddy," Jay responded.

"Now it's time for bed," Erin added. "If you hurry we'll have time for an extra story."

James eyes lit up and he scampered down the hall to his room. Jay let out a breath and pulled himself to his feet.

"I think I'm screwed," he said on a sigh to Erin. She tilted her head in question. "I can't even get a two year old to go to bed, how the hell am I gonna cope with what comes next!"

Erin smiled sympatheticly. "You're a great dad Jay, you'll be fine."

It was Erin who wasn't fine on James first day of school. A wicked case of working mom's guilt took hold as she realized her baby had been replaced by a little man and gone were the days of snuggling up in mommy's arms. She felt like she'd missed so much already and it was just flying by. He'd scarcely kissed her as he flew into the yard to meet new friends to play with.

Their lives became busier, filled with play dates and extracurricular activities. James was fearless and confident like his father and loved to try new things. Soccer and hockey were among his favourite sports to play and Jay made sure to be as involved as possible, helping coach his teams. He always chuckled to himself whenever he saw Erin sitting with the other parents in the stands talking and cheering. He often tease her she'd morphed into a soccer mom and if the perps could see her like this they'd laugh instead of hide when they saw her coming. The comment usually earned him a glare and an hour or so of the silent treatment.

But Erin still worried out loud from time to time if she was a good mom, the scars of her upbringing deep. Jay just reminded her that Bunny had never bothered to enroll her in extracurricular activities let alone cheer louder than any other parent in the arena or stay up till three am after getting punched in the stomach by a perp to bake twelve dozen cookies for a team fundraiser. But he did understand her doubts. He had his own still. It's why he always made sure to spend time each day talking to James and encouraging him. He didn't want his son to know a moment of self doubt or think his father wasn't proud of him. His need to be involved in his son's life meant he was often the dad who chauffeured James and his friends to their various activities and hosted those friends for frequent sleepovers that involved far too little sleep and far too many fart jokes.

Those friends almost lost their lives at Erin's hands when James was in the third grade. They'd dared James he couldn't climb to the roof of the condemned house behind the school yard and typical of her daredevil of a son he'd scampered up fearlessly. But he hadn't thought out how he'd get down or how weak the roof structure was and now here she was sitting in an exam room at Med watching while Uncle Will took X-rays.

Yup, She was gonna kill those boys for egging James on. The phone call she'd got from the school, that they were transporting James via ambulance to the hospital, nearly made her heart stop.

"You know your dad broke his arm when he was about your age." Will reminisced with a smile. Erin wanted to throw something at him. There was nothing amusing about her baby being broken.

"He did?" James asked through gritted teeth, trying to not show how much pain he was in.

"Yup, doing skate board tricks," Will laughed.

"Dad rode a skateboard?" James asked, impressed.

"Sure did, was pretty good too, you should get him to show you some of his tricks... ooww!" Will grimaced at the impact of Erin's foot to his shin, the death glare she shot him spoke loud and clear, no way was anyone showing her son any more things that could land them back here.

But in the sixth grade that's exactly where they went to get the cut above his eye stitched up, well after spending a good hour in the principals office trying to argue their way out of James suspension. But Erin's rank as Sargent of CPD Intelligence had no pull with their no tolerance policy. It didn't matter to the school that James had only hit the boys after he came across them beating and taunting a younger student. James was a true Halstead and couldn't stand by and watch as someone was bullied and victimized. So he'd pulled the two seventh graders off the boy and when they swung at him, he swung back. It wasn't really his fault that he packed the Lindsay punch. Erin and Jay had always been clear with James that if he ever threw the first punch or bullied someone he'd catch hell but she had a difficult time punishing her son for standing up for others.

"Hey," Jay said, sliding the exam door open. "How's it looking?" Erin looked up and for a moment she forgot her anger with the school as she took in the sight of his freshly pressed white shirt. He'd only been wearing his commander uniform for a week now and the sight of it still made her tummy flutter.

"Four stitches oughta do it," Will announced pulling off his gloves.

"Thank you," Erin said. "I know this isn't really part of your job description anymore."

"What's the point in being director or emergency services if I can't pick and choose what patients I want to work on," Will laughed.

"What the school say?" Jay asked as he took in the sight of James face. Erin's looked annoyed at the mention of the school.

"They suspended me. But dad I swear I was only defending that kid. I even waited for them to hit me before I hit back. That's how I got this," James explained, trying to minimize the trouble he was in.

Jay nodded. He too was proud of his son for sticking up for others but he wasn't too pleased with his boy coming to blows with other kids.

"And the other boys?" Jay asked Erin.

"Expelled," she said flatly. The little shits deserved it. "But not before they threatened to come after James."

"Mom, it's not a big deal. Please don't make a big deal out of it." James pleaded.

"Not a big deal!" Erin exclaimed. "They threatened you James. I can't just let that go," she countered.

Jay sympathized with James. At his age having an over protective mom, one who was a formative cop, could be embarrassing but Jay shared Erin's worry on this one. Sometimes being the son of a cop made you a target and although they made sure James knew how to defend and stand up for himself, he couldn't fend of a group of older boys by himself.

James began arguing back with Erin and Jay cut him off. "Alright," Jay said playing referee between the two, something he'd found himself doing often with them these days. The two loves of his life were also the most stubborn people he'd ever met. "We'll talk about that a bit later. How long you suspended for?"

"Rest of the week," James said, ducking his head as was his habit when he got in trouble.

"I already talked to Hank," Erin said. "He's putting a new deck on the back of the house, said he could use the extra hands."

Jay nodded his approval. Not only would Voight keep James out of trouble but if those boys did make good on their threat there was no where he'd be safer then with Voight, even if he was retired.

James head shot up, "I have to spend my suspension with Papa?"

"Well we both have to work and I'm not leaving you home alone all day," Erin explained.

"But he hates electronics. I'll get like no video game time or anything," he whined. Erin and Jay shard a smile. That was kind of the point, because proud of their son or not, he did have a suspension to serve out. James pouted and fell into a moody silence realizing the week of hard work he was in for. He may have been a hero today but clearly their twelve year old was completely normal in every other way.

There was nothing normal about the amount of time James began spending in his room three years later. Their confident outgoing chatter box of a son started coming home from school and vanishing to his room all evening, emerging only long enough to inhale his dinner and give a few grunts and mumbles when asked about his day. Jay started to get really worried. He recalled how, at James age, he had been picked on and bullied. His relationship with his father hit an all time low with Pat refusing to even acknowledge Jay's presence. Jay and Erin had more than a few worried conversations about how to get James to start opening up to them again. They were becoming increasingly worried something bad was happening to him.

But it turned out he wasn't being bullied. James had a broken heart. Erin came home late one night, having spent the last twenty hours coordinating the take down of a militant group who'd threatened to blow up half the city. She was exhausted and shuffled her way down the hall to bed. As she passed James' door a noise caught her attention and she paused. Her heart constricted when she realized James was crying. Gently she knocked before letting herself in. James lay in bed in the dark trying to swipe away the tears before Erin could see. It took her a few minutes, James too embarrassed to tell her what had him so upset, but once he started talking the whole story came out. Jay found them almost an hour later, Erin sat back on the bed, James with his head in her lap. She stroked her fingers though her broken hearted sons hair feeling powerless to protect him from the pain.

"I'm gonna kill her," Erin gritted out the next morning when she and Jay were alone in the kitchen.

"Erin," Jay exclaimed surprised at the her venom.

"She hurt our son Jay," Erin argued defensively, challenging Jay to argue with her.

"They're just kids Erin. It's part of growing up. He'll get over it. I did," Jay said trying to rationalize with her.

"You've never mentioned getting your heart broken," Erin replied.

Jay could see the tinge of jealousy on Erin's face, the look she got whenever another woman showed interest in him. He smiled at her and cupped her cheek. It amused him that after all this time he still had to occasionally remind her only had eyes for her.

"I did, but it was the best thing that ever happened because I ended up with the most incredible woman in the end," he said kissing her lips softly. "Stacey McLloyd has nothing on you when it comes to making coffee," he teased, eyes shining with mischief.

Erin gasped and smacked Jay's chest, pushing him off of her. He chuckled hardily as she threatened to make him sleep on the couch for his cheeky remarks. They both knew her threats were empty and that after twenty years together the only way either of them could sleep was when Jay was her human body pillow.

She wanted to wrap her car in pillows a year later when she and Jay taught James to drive. Her little bean had grown into a charming, athletic, bright young man, a massive growth spurt this last year filling out his features, deepening his voice and having him tease Jay about how he was finally taller than his old man. Jay pouted being referred to as old but Erin would soothe his bruised ego, assuring him he was still the incredibly hot man she'd fallen in love with.

There were plenty of girls trying to get James attention now and he was desperate to gain some more independence, wanting to use the money he'd been saving from his part time job to buy a car and "go on proper dates." Erin didn't want to think about what sixteen year old boys with cars did when they took girls on dates but she and Jay had been very forthright in their approach to dealing with matters of STDs, drugs and consent. She trusted her son to have good judgement and unlike most of his peers, he still seemed to talk to them about most things.

So here she was wondering if she'd end the day with whip lash and getting a quote from a body shop to fix the damage she feared James was about to inflict on her car. She was proud her son had inherited Jay's sense of humour, consciousness, good looks and confidence, but damn did she wish he didn't drive like a Halstead.

Six months later James had her and half the uniforms under Erin's command driving around the city looking for his best friend. She would probably catch hell from the chief, using her rank as commander for personal gain, but James had a gut feeling Mikayla was in trouble and if James had inherited anything from Erin, it was his instincts when it came to people.

James had befriended the quiet girl in eighth grade after watching the girls in his class shun her for being different. He started asking Erin if he could take extra food in his lunch because Mikayla never seemed to bring anything. After a couple weeks James had managed to coax her story out of her and it played on Erin's heart strings.

She lived with her dad who divided his time between his blue collar job and the local pub, often leaving the young girl to fend for herself. James started bringing Miki home from school a few times a week for dinner and she became a fixture in the Halstead household. At first Jay and Erin thought James had romantic feelings for the girl but it quickly became evident their connection was platonic.

Erin found subtle ways of making sure Miki's basic needs were being met, since her father didn't seem to notice his maturing daughter had any, going so far as to sneak hygiene products into her backpack and buying her "gifts" of clothes and other essentials for just about every holiday on the American calendar. She knew how belittling it felt to have hand outs at that age so she was careful how she tended to Miki's needs and she knew that despite the less than ideal home life it would destroy Miki's world if they reported her father for neglect. So they kept a close eye on her and Jay turned up at her father's watering hole every so often to make sure Miki's drunken paternal figure remembered his familial responsibility and what would happen to him if Jay ever found out Miki got hurt in any way.

She'd become a pseudo member of the family and the Halsteads thought nothing of including her in their plans. She was always polite and sweet when she came around, grateful for the feeling of acceptance and safety they gave her.

But lately she'd been turning up less and James had been concerned she was missing too much school and not returning his texts with the same speed or enthusiasm. He'd finally confronted her two nights ago and she broke down crying, confessing she was pregnant and the babies father had rejected her. She was confused, not knowing what the best option was for her and scared of what her father would do when he found out. James had begged her to come home with him and talk to his parents, knowing they could help her figure out her options and keep her safe. But despite James assurance they wouldn't judge her, Miki refused.

She'd said some pretty nasty things to James hoping to push him out of her life. James hadn't bought her words as much as they had hurt. And after repeatedly trying to reach her for two days he went by her apartment only to find there was no sign of her or her father there and the place looked like it had been trashed. He immediately called his mom, his dad being on a fishing trip with his Uncle Will. It was often a burden growing up in a family of cops but there were certain advantages and having your mom issue and amber alert, on nothing but your word, for your missing best friend was definitely an advantage.

It took them two hours but they'd found them. Miki's dad had gone crazy with rage when he found out she was pregnant. He'd tossed her around the apartment before dragging her down to the deserted factory he'd lost his job from when it closed a month ago to make her pay for her sins. She was in rough shape, suffering broken ribs and bruising everywhere and been rushed to the hospital. Erin had taken great pleasure in personally being the one to slam the drunk bastard up against the wall and cuff him. She handed him off to Atwater knowing he and his team in Intelligence would make sure Miki's father would go away for a long time.

After a week in the hospital Miki was released and thankfully Erin persuaded her into staying with them, at least until she finished school and could support her child on her own. Miki couldn't understand why Erin and Jay would be so willing to take her in. It wasn't until Erin confided to Miki her own story that she agreed to stay with them. Jay found Erin crying quietly on the back porch that night, after getting off the phone from a call to Hank. He wrapped his arms around her, always wanting to fix things for her when she was hurting, and kissed her tears away as she marvelled at how much her life had changed, how proud she was of their son and how full circle the moment felt.

It had been a huge change having a baby in the house again but two years later Jay and Erin sat proudly with Miki's little Lindsay between them as they watched first James then Miki cross the stage and receive their high school diplomas. As hard as she cheered and clapped Erin couldn't suppress the feeling of melancholy knowing that in the fall her son would be off to Harvard with hopes of becoming a doctor. Hank had been disappointed neither of his grandsons wanted to become cops, Danny opting for a career in technology, but Erin was relieved she wouldn't spend the next twenty years not being able to sleep for worrying about James safety every time he was on shift. Will on the other hand was a proud peacock knowing his nephew was taking after him. When Jay had rolled his eyes at Will's constant gloating, Will had reminded Jay how he'd have a niece following in his footsteps thanks to Erin's convincing presentation about women on the police force last week at her high school.

Miki would be leaving them too. She's secured a scholarship to UCLA in politics science and a spot for little Lindsay at the on campus daycare. Both Jay and Erin were impressed with how tirelessly Miki worked at not only being a good mom but securing a bright future for her and her daughter. Still Erin was going to miss all of them and the chaos they brought to their house.

By the end of the kids second semester away Jay could tell something was up with his girl. Erin had become quiet and seemed disinterested in work and their new quieter routine. Jay had hoped having the house to themselves meant they could rekindle some of the early habits they'd had, when they didn't have to worry about being interrupted by needy toddlers or rowdy teens. She still took his breath away and Jay wanted to spend their increased free time reminding Erin of all the ways in which he could love her. He missed the kids but was excited to have Erin to himself again. But it was clear their suddenly empty nest had the opposite affect on her. While she didn't deny any advances he made, she just didn't seem herself.

"Talk to me," he coaxed one night while they ate a quiet dinner at their favourite restaurant.

She put her fork down and stared at him for a long time, her eyes looking deep into him. He let her in, not afraid to show her just how much he loved her and the life they'd built together. It was a roller coaster of a ride. Filled with incredible highs, the pot holes of sometimes failing at balancing demanding and draining careers with raising a family and maintaining a healthy relationship and all the twist and turns in between. Jay wouldn't trade a minute of it.

"I'm done," she announced with confidence and a sad smile.

Jay felt like he'd been punched in the throat. He knew she'd been sad over James and Miki leaving but he had no idea it reached beyond that. He'd heard how empty nesters would wake up one morning after their kids were gone and suddenly realize they were strangers who no longer wanted to be together but he didn't think that described him and Erin, not even close, and he would fight tooth and nail to prove it to her. Jay sat speechless.

"I've been thinking about it, and with the kids off pursuing their own lives there's nothing keeping us here anymore Jay. I'm tired of the politics, the crazy hours, we've put in our time, done our part to make this city a safer better place we were proud to raise our son in. But I'm done. I wake up every morning now and feel empty. I've given so much, and so have you. I'm so proud of you, of both of us, and the careers we've dedicated to this city but I keep wondering when it's our time. When are we going to keep our promise to each other Jay? You've spent the last twenty plus years painting this perfect picture of our life sitting by the water soaking in the peace, wrapped up in each other's arms and I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of saying someday. I want it now while we're still young enough to enjoy it and each other. I want the rest of our someday Jay. I want to retire to that old cabin in Wisconsin. A week or two a year isn't enough for me anymore. I want to sell the house and move there, permanently."

Jay sat back stunned. It was true, everything she'd said had been his dream right from the start with her, but he was still shocked she brought it up. She'd always played it cool when they talked about it. Reminding him of how many mosquitoe bites she'd gotten on their last trip or how she was sure they'd find a meth lab on the property next time they were there. Jay had resigned himself to a at least ten more years on the job before he'd be able to coax his big hearted, put everyone else first, dedicated to the job, city girl into retirement and even then he figured they'd be staying in the city.

"And the kids?" He asked wondering if she'd though about how they'd feel about the family home being sold.

"They've always loved Christmases and summers up there, there's more than enough room for when they come home to visit," she reasoned.

"And what about the mosquitoes," he teased, letting himself get excited now that he realized there was a possibility Erin was being serious.

She shrugged. "The bugs aren't that bad, I just like to bust your balls, besides it gives you an excuse to rub aloe on me," she said with a suductive smile.

"And the meth labs," he continued to banter, enjoying her train of thought.

"I know a couple cops who are about to retire who could keep the vagrants off our land," she shrugged with a giggle.

Jay sat forward and took Erin's hand in his across the table. "You really want to do this?"

Erin nodded, hesitantly, "only if you do too, I don't want to force you to retire before you're ready so if you need a few more years I'll understand but I've run the math, we've put in enough time, saved enough, and with the sale of the house we should be fine. Besides you're forever telling me I give too much of myself to everyone else."

"You've put a lot of thought into it," Jay said, surprised she'd been thinking about this so long and keeping it to herself. It had taken a few years in the beginning but they'd learned to communicate openly, never keeping secrets between them over the years.

"I have, I wanted to make sure I was sure before I said anything. I know how badly you wanted this and I didn't want to get your hopes up if I wasn't sure," Erin said by way of apology.

A huge smile spread across Jay's face, one full of excitement and a litre mischief. Erin's tummy still fluttered when he looked at her like that, knowing his mind had gone somewhere that involved bringing her a whole lot of pleasure. She couldn't resist smiling back when he looked like that. He was every bit as gorgeous as the day he'd strode into the bullpen at the 21st his first day in Intelligence and confidently introduced himself to her. She knew then he'd be trouble for her. She just didn't know just how much trouble. Or how amazing it would make her feel.

"So what do you think?" She asked, because aside from the boyish grin, he really hadn't let on how he felt about her proposal. "Do you want to retire with me?"

Jay stood up, pulling Erin to a stand and wrapped his arms around her. He smiled down at her, dipping his head and stopping an inch from her lips.

"Oh definitely," he replied, then captured her lips in a searing kiss.

That Christmas, in front of the floor to ceiling windows framing the snow covered forest and icy river, Jay finally slipped his mother's ring on Erin's finger. Their friends and family had all made the trek to Wisconsin for the occasion they had to see for themselves to believe.

It had been Jay's turn to surprise Erin. He'd taken her for a weekend getaway to Mackinac Island and just as the forth of July fire works started he'd dropped to one knee. Jay had never pushed for marriage, knowing the commitment they made to each other was as real and more solid than most of the marriages he'd witnessed over the years. Erin had never left him feeling like he was missing out on anything so he saw no need to push her out of her comfort zone on the issue. But when she dropped the early retirement bomb he knew he wanted to spend their Wisconsin days as Mr. and Mrs. Halstead. She'd said yes immediately but shook her head at all the trouble he'd gone to to make it perfect.

"Jay I didn't need any of this," she said holding her hands out at the scene before her. "It was just a joke, something to impress those suck up girls I went to school with."

"I know, but I wanted you to have the Zuckerburg story, although I kinda think I've aged a little better than he has, even if I only have a cops pension." He winked at her.

"He doesn't hold a candle to you babe, no one ever could," she laughed, kissing him.

And now James stood proudly with his Uncle Will at his father's side as his Papa Hank escorted his mother into the room. She's refused to let them make any sort of isle for her to walk down and barely consented to letting Aunt Nat play violin to her entrance. But mom laughed as she approached them, making her even more beautiful, when she caught sight of little Lindsay twirl in circles to the pretty music. It was short and sweet and he'd deny it if asked, but he'd teared up watching the two most amazing people he'd ever met affirm their love for each other.

James knew how lucky he was to be a product of such love. He'd never once doubted their belief in him. They'd been honest and straightforward in their parenting, never sugar coating things. He knew a little of his mom's history, he knew how dangerous their jobs could be and the toll that kind of work took on them, but he'd grown up in an affection home filled with laughter. He had more honorary aunts and uncles and cousins then he did real ones, his parents surrounding him with a family build on a foundation of love and trust rather than genetics.

He'd had his moments of rebellion over the years, something his Papa said was bound to happen given how stubborn and independent his parents were, but thankful they'd given him room to breathe and make his own mistakes. He'd never be able to thank them for what they'd done for Miki. They accepted his best friend as part of the family and he loved the way Lindsay called them Papa Jay and Nana Rin, not quite able to pronounce his mother's name. His mom always waved off Miki's gratitude, saying she was simply paying it forward but James knew that if his parents hadn't stepped in when they did Miki would likely have died instead of planning a career as a woman's rights activist.

James was a bit surprised when they told him they were retiring, the only thing they'd been more dedicated to then him was their careers. He was happy for them though. And happy his visits home would now mean time spent at the cabin he'd grown up vacationing to. This place held only the best of memories, becoming the place his parents would bring their little family to when the real world became too much.

Watching happy tears slip down his mother's cheeks and the way his father beamed down at her while gently wiping them away, he knew this quiet little cabin filled with four generations of love and an eclectic mix of family was where they belonged.

Always.