Thank to all you fabulous readers for being so patient while I didn't update for nine days. Sorry - life's been happening lately. I can't tell you how awesome it is to have people who read my FanFiction and make me smile when they leave reviews!
This chapter is a little bit more somber, and I'm sorry if it feels like the plot is slowing down...I've got some big plans in the works! As always, please leave a review! :D
Chapter 9
As Peter unbuckled himself and hopped out of the car, he asked his mom, "Mommy? Why am I going to Gabby's?"
"Because daddy and mommy are going out," Erin responded, Jay already at the front door.
"But I don't want to play barbies," Peter complained.
"You'll be fine," Erin assured Peter as Gabby opened the front door. "Hey, Peter!" she said excitedly, "How's my favorite little boy?"
"Hi," Peter said nervously.
"The place is quiet," Erin observed with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, the girls are both still upstairs getting dressed. It'll be loud pretty soon."
Jay and Erin both chuckled as Peter hugged Erin's leg. Erin pulled Peter off of her leg, gave him a big kiss on the head and said, "We'll be back at lunch time, okay?"
"Okay, mommy," Peter said quietly, finally smiling, which made Erin feel a little better.
"Is that my favorite five year old?" Shay squealed from the hallway. Peter ran past Gabby and into Shay's arms and giggled as she tickled his belly. "Hey guys," Shay said with a smile.
"Hey, Shay," Erin said, "Thank you. Both of you."
"No problem," Shay said, "Besides, Gabby needs me to help corral her two girls and our favorite boy. Kelly and Matt are working on a construction project today."
"Nice," Jay said, "Have fun, Peter."
"Bye!" Peter said with a giggle.
Twenty minutes later, Erin and Jay sat next to each other at a table in the coffee shop they'd picked. Erin was so nervous that she was using her coffee as a hand warmer instead of actually drinking it. As Jay took a big sip, he asked, "You gonna drink that?"
"Please, Jay," Erin snapped. Jay took that as his cue to back off, so they didn't speak until Erin's mom arrived. "Erin," she said happily.
"Hi, mom," Erin said with a strained smile, standing up to greet her mother. Jay followed suit, and reached out his hand after Erin back out of her mother's short embrace. "Jay Halstead. Nice to meet you."
"You as well," Bunny said, not fully meaning it. She sat down on the opposite side of the table as she asked, "How do you two know each other?"
"We're married, mom," Erin snapped. Jay had to stop himself from giving Erin a look of surprise. He had never seen her so tense around anyone before – not even Voight during her pregnancy could top her right now.
Bunny's jaw dropped before she recollected herself and replied, "Oh. And you work together too?"
"Yes, we do," Jay replied with a strained smile of his own. "We've been working together for over seven years."
"Wow, that's a long time," Bunny concluded. "How did you become a cop, Jay?"
"I was in the military for a few years after high school. My flight back from debriefing in Germany landed in Chicago and I never left. I'm glad I didn't," Jay said wholeheartedly, giving Erin an honest look of affection.
"So, Erin, did you take his last name?" Bunny asked suddenly, interrupting the sweet moment. Erin took a sip of coffee and replied, "Yes Mom, I did."
"Do you talk to your father at all? Did you before you got married?" Bunny asked.
"What do you think, mom?" Erin spat in reply. Jay was taking small and frequent sips of coffee to stop himself from saying anything as Erin continued, "I haven't seen him since he was arrested when I was a little girl. I didn't even know what prison he was in, so no, I haven't seen him over two decades. Why are you here in Chicago, mom?"
"I'm getting married and I want another chance with you."
"Mom, I've been through this with you so many times."
"Just please come to the wedding? It would mean a lot to me if you would both be there."
"What about dad? Unless he's dead or you divorced him then you can't marry someone else."
"He divorced me. I was in one of my slumps and I didn't really realize what I'd signed until after I'd signed the papers. But it was better for me and you to be separated from him."
Erin was shocked, having never known about her parents' divorce before now. She stood up and headed for the bathroom, leaving Jay and Bunny alone at the table.
"I don't believe it," Bunny said, "Every time I get clean-"
"That's the problem," Jay snapped, "You said every time. You should have gotten clean and stayed clean years ago so you could have been there for her like you should have been. And I'm sorry if I'm being really rude right now, but I love Erin and she's told me a lot about her childhood and how she never wants to relive that."
"I shouldn't be scolded for trying!"
"I'm not saying that, Bunny, I just want you to know that I don't want to watch you hurt Erin again. You hear me?"
Bunny sighed. "I hear you." She said a farewell to Jay, wished him a good day, and exited the coffee shop just as Erin walked out of the bathroom. She sat down next to Jay after her mom had walked out the door and said. "What'd you do?"
"Nothing," Jay replied, staring out the window and taking a sip of coffee.
"Clearly," Erin chuckled, calling his bluff. Jay finally looked at Erin and said, "Look, she started to say how she couldn't believe that you wouldn't let her back in and I snapped. I basically told her that I don't want to see you get hurt by her again because you're my wife and I care about you too much to have to witness that."
Jay was going to say more but was interrupted by Erin passionately kissing him. He put his hands on her back as they kissed for a few more seconds; when Erin leaned back against her chair she looked like, for two pins, she might cry. Jay returned their coffee mugs and held Erin's hand as they walked to the car. As soon as Jay had sat down in the driver's seat and Erin sat next to him, she burst into tears and cried into Jay's chest, Jay hugging her with one hand and rubbing her back with the other.
"I know this is hard, I know," Jay said softly, "But you and I will face it together, okay?"
Erin sniffed as she tried to stop crying and replied, "Okay."
