One Year

by Sincerely Tiffany

Sequel to Cat and Mouse that follows the first year of Erin and Jay as parents.

10. Ten Months

The aisle of the airplane is short and small as they ease their way through the seats. Fortunately, they were able to board the plane sooner than others due to their ten month old daughter; it was one of the benefits of flying with a baby. Haven's head rested against her mother's shoulder, her little legs spread out around her mother's waist as she smiles at the couple standing behind them. Haven waves her little hand, smiling at the woman behind her mother, currently carrying a toddler. The woman waves back at Haven, waving along with her toddler as they continue down the aisle. Haven stares; she's at that age where she finds fascination and amusement in other kids, preferably older kids. And the toddler –around two years of age- was resting in her mother's arms, face cradled in the crook of her neck as she shyly turned away from Haven.

Erin is paying no attention to the seating; she's not searching for their row or their seats since her husband is slowly inching ahead of her, reading each numbered row in search of eight A and B. She only stops walking when Jay does, she sighs in content when he finds their row, Erin was ready to get comfortable and situated. Haven isn't a heavy baby; she's a lighter ten month old, weighing around eighteen pounds, but since she's been holding her for a little over an hour, her arms were starting to weaken. Jay is currently taking his time, placing their carry-on bag in the overhead compartment. He steps away, leaves it open for other people's bags to be added and allows for Erin to slide into the seat first, taking the closest one next to the window. The baby's diaper bag is slid beneath his seat before he steps in, comfortably sitting down and strapping himself in. The baby's tired; her cheek rests against her mother's shoulder and her gaze focuses on her reflection in the window. This was the family's first vacation since the baby was born; this was the family's first time flying since Haven joined the family. While Erin was nervous, Jay wasn't; he was relaxed in his seat, head comfortably resting against the headrest and eyes drifting open and shut. As the seats within the plane begin to fill up, the pilot's voice plays over the intercom informing them of their inevitable destination, –Wisconsin. It was going to be a short vacation –Friday to Monday- to celebrate Halloween and the autumn weather.

Burgess and Ruzek flew out a day before them in order to have a day alone in the cabin; now that it's Friday and they're all officially off from work, their short vacation can begin. It's an hour long flight and Erin planned for it to fall during Haven's naptime in hopes that she'll sleep through most of it. Jay felt himself dozing off, wanting desperately to fall asleep and wake up when the flight is over, but when he feels the hard nudge of his wife's elbow, "Huh?"

"I said could you pass me the baby's blanket; it's a little chilly in here."

Jay suppresses a yawn and reaches beneath his seat to fumble around the inside of her diaper bag. When the soft blanket is felt against his fingers, he gives it a pull and hands it over to his wife. She drapes it over the baby's back and continues to hold her snugly and protectively in her arms, "Go to sleep," she presses a gentle kiss against the side of her daughter's head. It's reassuring; it's comfortable enough for all three of them to fall asleep, only for her to be awakened thirty minutes into the flight by Haven stirring and rubbing her own eyes.

Erin had done her best effort to remain still, to pretend to still be asleep all in hopes of Haven drifting back off, but when she heard a slight murmur, a low fuss of the mouth; she knew that there was no chance of the little girl falling back to sleep, not when she's currently rubbing, gripping and messing with her ears. It's obvious something about them is bothering her; it doesn't take a rocket scientist to connect the dots –her ears are popping. She starts to fret and Jay disappears to walk to the restroom, leaving Erin strapped in her seat and attempting to distract her whiny baby from the pain shooting through her ears.

Haven's whines grow louder; she's more focused on comforting her little girl than the looks of obvious annoyance from the people around her. Erin cradled her daughter's head against her chest and rocked her body forwards and backwards, "…around twenty minutes left," she whispered in a soothing manner against her daughter's ear. The baby couldn't understand but it didn't stop her mother from talking to her, attempting to soothe her the best way she could.

The ten month old pulled her head away from her mother's bosom; her small fist rubbed against her little ear, her lobe turning red as Haven rubbed against them, her whines no longer low but has turned into a loud wail for help and comfort. Erin maneuvers the baby around on her lap, turning her small body to face the window, attempting to distract her with the view of the beautiful sky, "Look at the pretty clouds. Can you say clouds?" Haven continues to cry.

"Do you mind shutting your kid up?"

Erin had been caught off guard. She was utterly surprised by the rude and heartless response from the business man sitting directly in front of her. He had the nerve, the audacity to rise from his seat, turn around to complain about her baby expressing the pain shooting through her ears the only way she knew how. Erin swallowed hard, struggling to simmer down her rising anger and frustration to speak softly to the man in front of her, "She's in pain."

"I'm in pain from hearing that baby scream majority of my flight!"

"Her ears are popping! Have a heart!"

"I cannot go the rest of my flight listening to that!"

"Then shove your earphones in your ears and turn the volume up!"

"I shouldn't have to do that in order to have a peaceful flight!"

"Well, we both have to do things we're not particularly happy with!"

The business man rises from his seat and eases his way into the aisle, going into the overhead compartment to grab his briefcase, "This is ridiculous. I paid to have a peaceful flight."

"You paid to get from Illinois to Wisconsin. That's what you paid for."

"I didn't pay to hear that," he shoves his hand in the direction of the whining baby, "you're disturbing me and every passenger on this damn flight!"

"Actually," a woman spoke up from behind Erin, "the baby is fine. She isn't a bother, at least not to me. You're actually disturbing me more than her."

He ignores the woman's words and continues to spew complaints and grunts under his breath; he's rolling his eyes and sliding back into his seat, holding a pair of earplugs in his hands, "I have an important meeting to go to once I land and I need to review my notes for it and your kid is preventing me from doing that. The world, this flight isn't revolved around your brat."

"Who do you think you're calling a brat?" Erin unbuckles her seatbelt.

His eyes dragged from the baby, up to Lindsay, "Take a guess lady."

Erin turns in her seat and carefully sits the baby down. Haven's cries had stopped a few minutes ago, and now she sits in her seat, standing in front of her in the limited space to ensure she didn't lean forward and fall. Both adults standing, fuming angrily, earns curious and nervous glances from the passengers around the plane, especially when Erin crosses her arms over her chest, "My baby is ten months old. If she can't say what she wants to say, she'll cry. That's what they do. Babies are unpredictable. And all I wanted from you was patience. There's no need to be an asshole and name call like a petulant child."

"Who is name calling?"

Her shoulders relaxed by the sound of her husband's voice. He's standing in the aisle, looking back and forth between her and the business man; his eyes occasionally glance towards Haven who is distractedly pulling the socks off her feet –she hated wearing them. She is oblivious to the scene around her, completely unaware of what her whining had caused. Erin stood with her hands now on her hips as she turns to face her husband, "This gentleman right here decided to express his frustration with Haven crying by causing a scene and calling her a brat."

Jay's brow rises, "I see you got earplugs," he nods towards what he sees in the man's hands, "how about you put them in your ears and shut the fuck up?"

The flight attendant finally appears, pointing out that the fasten seatbelt sign is back on because they'll be landing soon. The business man gives no more complaints; he does just as Jay ordered and shoves the earplugs into his ears. Erin retook her seat, buckled herself back in with the baby now on Jay's lap. She couldn't wait until they landed, especially since the plane started to descend, Haven's ears began bothering her again. She began to fret, whine and press her head against her father's chest. Her ears were bothering her because of the pressure change in the plane. She does as she did before; she reached for her ears, whined, flushed her face against her dad's chest and cried loudly. The man seated in front of them sighs, "Seriously…"

Neither of them responds to him. They're too preoccupied with comforting their obviously upset daughter. Jay hums a soothing tune and rocks her back and forth in his arms, it doesn't do much but it does manage to muffle her whines long enough for the plane to land and for everyone to climb out of their seats and enter the aisle. Jay and Erin are in no rush; they patiently remain seated until the last person is almost off the plane.

"I sent Burgess a text to let her know we landed," Erin followed her husband down the aisle; on her shoulder is the diaper bag, "they'll pick us up in the rental car."

During their walk towards baggage claim, the baby finds herself dozing off against her father's shoulder. That left the task of retrieving their luggage for Erin. She stood at the belt, glancing at her husband from over her shoulder as he walked around, rubbing his hand against her back and laying the occasional kiss against her cheek or the side of her forehead. It was a sweet scene. It was one that had many elderly women and single ladies swooning at the sight of her husband taking such delicate care of their little girl.

Eventually she's forced to look away when she notices their shared suitcase, the stroller and their daughter's car seat in the peripheral of her vision. She reached for each, received a little help from the person next to her, and managed to get their suitcase, the stroller and the car seat off the belt. She sent the gentleman to her right a smile of appreciation before raising the handle and wheeling the bag and the stroller over to her family, the car seat sits atop their suitcase. Haven was asleep; her head facing outward, mouth slightly ajar and the soft, innocent murmurs of her exhausted state convinced them that she should remain asleep for the entire ride to the cabin.

"They're outside," Erin hands him the folded stroller, "Ruzek wants us to hurry up. Technically, they're not allowed to park and he needs us outside before he gets a ticket."

"Lead the way," Erin follows behind.

When they depart the airport, Jay is the first to notice the rental car the second the sound of the horn blares. Erin picks up her speed, rushing alongside her husband, "Hey guys!"

Ruzek is at the back of the car, "Hey how was your flight?" He takes the suitcase and the stroller from them to put inside the trunk, "By the looks on your faces, I'll say it was rough."

"That may be an understatement," Erin sets the car seat in the back, spotting Burgess sitting in the middle, anxiously waiting to assist and hook the baby's seat in.

"What happened?" Adam slams the trunk closed.

Erin walks around to the opposite side of the car, sliding inside to see Jay now sitting in the passenger seat as Burgess carefully buckles her sleeping baby into the car seat. Erin is exhausted, she envies the baby's ability to just be sleeping right now and instead of being allowed to sleep as well, she found herself filling her friends in on their annoying flight, due to the businessman rather than her fussy baby.

"You're such a badass," Burgess applauded.

"No, I'm just a very protective mother."

"And where were you for most of it?" Burgess looks to Halstead.

"Bathroom," Erin whispered, adjusting the diaper bag on her lap, "but once he came out and caught up on what was going on, he pretty much shut the guy down. A woman he didn't mind arguing with, but him," she nods towards her husband, "he thought twice about it."

The remainder of the ride provided Erin and Jay a chance to take a short, powernap. It was just the right length because once they woke back up; they're parked outside the beautiful cabin, taking in the autumn temperature and the red and orange leaves falling from the trees. While Jay and Adam went to fetch their luggage from the trunk, Erin carried the diaper bag inside and Kim carried the alert baby who had woken up a few minutes ago. Haven was sitting up in Kim's arms, looking around the outside as the warm breeze blew through her short head of hair. The pink flower headband wrapped around her dirty blonde hair holds most of her strands of hair in place and out of her face.

A grin appeared when Haven noticed who had joined them –Kim and Adam. Her eyes fell towards Ruzek as he came down the stairs from dropping her parents' luggage off in their room. When he noticed her grin, the one that always seemed to appear any time she saw him, he cracked a matching smile, "Hey beautiful," he tickled her tummy.

Haven giggled and reached out for him. He couldn't resist her and scooped her right into his arms. It always surprised them that months ago she cried every time she was in his arms and he carried her as if she was contagious. Now looking at them, Ruzek appeared to be a natural. He held her close, lifting her high to blow bubbles against her tummy, only to bring her back down and laugh along with her high-pitched giggles.

"You are so good with her," Erin complimented. She pats against Adam's back as she walks by him in the direction of the kitchen. She takes a seat at the table and sits her daughter's diaper bag on top, reaching inside to withdraw her daughter's container of cut up apples.

"I know we only planned to go trick or treating today," Kim says as she takes a seat beside her best friend, "but while we waited for you to fly in we found a pumpkin patch nearby."

"I think Haven would love that," Erin replies; her tone of voice changing when she sees Haven now on the floor, crawling over, "wouldn't you?"

Haven sits at her mother's feet as Erin pulls the container of apple chunks onto her lap. She feels the tiny hand of her daughter wrap around the fabric of her pants leg in order to use it to pull herself up. The opposite hand reaches forward; finger pinches a tiny piece of cut up apple before pushing it into her mouth. At ten months old, the top teeth directly next to the middle teeth have made their appearance, giving her a row of four miniature teeth across the top. The bottom row held a few, but not as many as the top; it was definitely a sight, providing the baby with teeth to brighten her grin.

Haven crawls around the floor while the adults talk. Erin and Kim sitting at the table while Jay and Adam sit on the living room couch. They're all comfortable and relaxed, remaining content and undisturbed by the peaceful ambiance. This short vacation was definitely needed; they're surrounded by a lake and trees, providing them with privacy and isolation that city life never gave them. Haven crawls back, pulls at her mother's pants leg to use it to prop herself back up just to grab another bite of apple before releasing and crawling along her merry way. It's amazing how much progress and development a baby makes in just ten months, less than a year.

Everyone seems to be talking about the Wisconsin weather, but Erin's distracted with watching her baby crawl around, finding entertainment in absolutely every little thing. Even when she chimes into the conversation, her eyes remain on Haven. This cabin isn't baby proof like their house is and therefore the freedom Haven had at home wasn't the same as she had here. She crawls back over for another small piece of apple, "She is just so excited," Erin laughs.

It's like Haven can sense the atmosphere. She repeatedly crawls over to the wall to wall windows, looking out at the lake. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Jay had been obsessed with it too, during their conversation he had regularly looked over towards it.

"Haven," he rises from his seat as their daughter looks over her shoulder, smiling when he called her name, "you like the view?" It was rhetorical. He didn't expect a response.

Jay walks over to look out, scooping up his daughter to provide her with a different viewpoint. She finds herself lost by the scene, birds are flying around, colorful leaves have fallen and hid the green and brown grass and the water on the lake remained still and calm. He carried the baby over to her mother, allowing Erin to hand her another piece of apple before walking her back over to the view, "I swear if this was the view to our backyard we would hardly have to keep her occupied. She has yet to look away."

"And that's saying something," Erin adds, rising to her feet to join them, "especially since nothing can hold her attention longer than a minute or two."

Erin grabs the last piece of apple; it wasn't that many left since Haven had been nibbling on them while waiting in the airport. She lifts the piece of fruit and holds it up towards her daughter, "Haven," she looks when she hears her name, "here babe."

When her daughter's mouth opens, she slides the remaining piece of apple inside. Recently, they have been experimenting with more foods, providing their growing baby with formula and finger foods to gain her daily intake of vitamins and proteins. When the last bite is swallowed, Haven grins and is carefully placed back onto the floor. Her little body takes off, crawling towards Ruzek who is now bent over with his arms wide open, waiting for her to reach him. He scoops her up and instantly tosses her up into the air; she giggles.

"I swear she does the silliest things, makes the funniest faces, babbles to herself for hours and keeps me laughing all day," Ruzek asserted, tossing her into the air once again.

As the cackles of her laughter rings out, he starts to laugh, picking up the speed and the frequency of each toss. Erin looks over her shoulder at Burgess, concern etched across both of their faces. While Haven may have been laughing and enjoying the fun, she had just finished eating and that movement was not a good recipe for her tummy.

"Hey Adam," Kim calls out and before she has a chance to warn him, the baby spits up.

Chunks of apple and saliva fell onto his chin and dripped down his neck; it was disgusting, but Ruzek wasn't upset, especially since everyone was currently laughing at the expression on his face. A light grin remained on Haven's face as he carried her over to her father, "Here's your kid."

Understandably, he disappeared upstairs once Jay took a hold of his daughter. Using the edge of her bib, he lifts it to pat against the spit up around her mouth. The smile at her lips never once leaving her face. Jay holds her close, looking into her hazel eyes to see them bright and full of a pure innocence that he wants to keep within her orbs for as long as possible. That look, that gaze, that pure stare full of love that she held anytime she looked at one of her parents was something of permanence, something that both parents vowed to keep within their daughter. Even as she grins, mouth agape, drool covering her chin and a tiny booger lodged into one of her nostrils, she still looked adorable. Without giving it a second thought, Jay swiftly picks it out of her nose, struggling partially every time she frets or moves her head away; she hated this.

Once her nostrils were clear, he sets her back down on the ground only to go off to the bathroom to wash his hands. Haven seemed to snap out of her short funk; once the discomfort of having her booger picked out of her nose was over, she had gone back to her normal bubbly self. She was on the move, crawling with such ease and skill as she roamed through the lower level of the cabin. She's distracted by the endless amount of things, both familiar and unrecognizable- around the living room, dining room and the connecting kitchen.

And while keeping an eye on her daughter as she ventures around the large expanse of the cabin's first level, she engages back in conversation with Burgess.

"I am so upset I missed the district's pre-Halloween day cookout last week."

Erin reaches into the baby's diaper bag, "You honestly didn't miss much," she withdrew a container of blueberries, "and you had better things to do. Wedding planning can get crazy."

"Yeah, but I missed all the little kids dressed up in their costumes," Kim sighed, giggling to herself when she sees Haven sit near a potted floor plant, "I could have brought my niece."

"Your niece is 17; the last thing she would want to do is be surrounded by a bunch of babies, toddlers and kids dressed as the trending character as they play games and collect candy."

Kim reached over the table to grab a few blueberries, popping a couple in her mouth afterwards, "True, but she could have been my excuse to get out of it."

"Out of wedding planning," Erin astonishes in mock disbelief, "oh please Kimberly, you've been riding Adam's ass about how he needs to help you plan the wedding and because he loves you, he helped a lot more than my husband did when planning ours. You could have gotten out of it by simply postponing it and he wouldn't have complained."

"That's true but I had to prove a point."

Erin pops a blueberry in her mouth, "And what point was that?"

"That I didn't do everything I did for nothing. We argued day and night because he wouldn't help and now that he is helping, I couldn't just postpone it; he would have the last word."

"You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"Yeah, but now that I think back on it, it would have been worth it," Kim withdrew her cell from her pocket, cutting off her continuation until she pulled up the photo, "Now look at this."

Erin squints to take a look from across the table, "…that's my baby."

"At the cookout," Kim adds.

And Lindsay's even more confused, "Yeah, I was there."

"The costume," Kim enhances.

"You bought her the costume."

"Yes, but I've never seen her in it," Kim glances back down at the photo, swooning when she swipes to the right to see the Halstead family photo, consisting of every member of the Halstead family including Will, Natalie and Owen.

Each costume dressed around and in accordance with the costume Kim had bought for Haven –she was a police officer. And that day she received more than enough compliments from their coworkers on how a ten month old baby wore the miniature uniform most of them wore on a daily basis. Even with the little, black sunglasses that she regularly pulled off her face and the police hat that she constantly pulled off her head, she had still managed to have a good time and only whined once when Jay had tried –but failed- to snug the hat back on her head for the fourth time. Owen was dressed as her patrol partner, wielding a whistle, a fake nightstick, plastic handcuffs and a bogus badge one of them managed to find at a party store. Will and Natalie had come as inmates dressed in black and white stripes with a prisoner number etched out the front, center of their costume. And Erin and Jay were dressed as bank robbers, decked out head to toe in black with ski masks on that covered half of their faces.

"You'll get to see her in her costume today," Erin reminded, popping another blueberry in her mouth, "and not to mention we'll all be dressing up in costumes that go along with the theme. So, it'll be fun," Erin's voice lowers as she watches her daughter pull herself to her feet by the rim of the potted plant, "Haven," a warning tone fills her voice as she calls out her daughter's name, subsequently causing the ten month old to look over, "What are you doing?"

She didn't expect an answer and she wasn't surprised when one did not follow. Instead, Haven grinned; this innocent look that she is starting to perfect appears on her face. While it always managed to soften her heart just a tad, Erin didn't let it sway her emotions; Jay on the other hand was an entirely different story. Erin could honestly see Haven getting away with everything if discipline was left up to Jay solely. By the time she's a toddler, she'll have him at her beck and call. And already now, at only ten months old, he couldn't find it in himself to say no even though she isn't talking yet. During Erin's inner monologue, Haven turns away, focusing back on the potted plant. She reaches her small hand inside and takes a firm grasp of the dirt and soil.

"No," Erin firmly shouts, "put it down Havie," she rises to her feet and walks over.

And while the baby couldn't talk, she understood a few words. Silently, she opens her hand and drops the dirt back in the pot.

"Come here," Erin lifts her up and carries her over to the dining room table, "you're just into everything. Kim," she waits for her friend to look over, "Can you put the plant somewhere she won't be able to get to? She tried it once and if I know her as well as I think I do, she'll try it again." Burgess salutes and walks off to accomplish her task.

Lindsay sits the baby on the edge of the dining room table and sits protectively in front of her to ensure she didn't fall off. She multitasks. As a mother, you learn to perfect the art of it. With one hand she holds her daughter's waist and with the other she digs inside and around the diaper bag until she finds the baby's wipes. After withdrawing a few and wiping down both of the baby's palms thoroughly, she tossed the wipes aside.

"What's the pout for?" A small grin appears upon Erin's face. She knows the baby –just like everyone else- hated being told no; it was one of the first terms she understood, but it had to be said. And in an effort to cheer her up, Erin leans forward to brush her nose against the baby's nose, a gesture that never fails to tug a smile onto Haven's lips.

Burgess and Jay return. The plant is gone. Jay's hands are clean. Kim comes to sit at the table as Jay goes for his seat on the couch. He scans the room until he spots the baby with her mother. It becomes nature. Knowing where your kid is at becomes second nature. He couldn't fully relax until he knew where she was and what she was getting into. Erin looked back at Haven, watching her stare at Burgess as she pops blueberries into her mouth. The baby has a healthy appetite; she always seemed to be hungry when food was in her line of sight.

"Here you go," Kim says, lifting up a blueberry and extending it; she only drops her hand once the baby pinches it up with her fingers. Surprisingly though, instead of putting it in her mouth, she looks at her mom, extending her hand forward and hovering the piece of fruit against Erin's lips, "Mama," the word wasn't new but it got to Erin every single time. She says the term and she actually knows what it means, at least, they assume she does. Erin is the only person she refers to as Mama so that has to mean something; the same goes for Jay with Dada.

"You eat it baby," Haven doesn't understand but she does heed the direction.

Haven looks back over at Burgess and happily accepts another blueberry. With her mother's hands now resting on her chubby thighs, Haven bounced up and down, her legs swinging as she held one blueberry while continually chewing the other.

"I would say she's going to spoil her appetite, but that girl can eat," Jay jokes, leaning back against the cushion of the couch. His arms are open and his feet are propped up on the coffee table, "pretty soon she'll be eating more than me."

"I don't think anyone can eat more than you," Ruzek retorted, walking down the stairs. He scanned the room until he saw Haven sitting on top of the table. He raises his hand and waves at her, grinning madly when she lifts hers in return and waves back, "She's such a great kid."

"We think so too," Jay chuckled.

The baby swallows and pops the next blueberry in her mouth. She continued to bounce on top of the table as she slowly chewed the savory snack. Her hands clapped, she squealed at the top of her lungs and she looked around the room to meet everyone's eyes. Erin could only smile; this feeling, whatever emotion coursing through her was too complex to put into terms. Instead, she kept her hands resting against Haven's thighs to ensure she didn't lean forward or bounce off the edge of the table. Lindsay gently squeezed, "Haven," her daughter looks back at her and even though Erin knows both of her hands are empty, she opens her mouth to hint that she's ready for a blueberry. The ten month old is wise –just like all babies- and she turns back to Burgess to see another piece of fruit extended towards her. She collected it in her small hand and turned back to her mom, holding out the blueberry, she chuckled when Erin ate it from her hold.

"Thank you very much," she swallowed it.

Soon enough though, Haven was tired of the blueberries and bored from sitting down in the same spot for an extended period of time. She squirmed, fussed a little and fidgeted until Erin got the hint. Her mother scooped her up and just as quickly sat her back down on the floor.

"So how far is this pumpkin patch? Is it driving distance or can we walk?" It was Jay who posed the question as Haven started to quickly crawl around the open space of the connecting three rooms –the living room, dining room and kitchen. She was always on the move, stretching out and moving her knees against the ground in an effort to get her from one spot to another.

It's Ruzek who answers, "We'll have to drive. It's about ten minutes away so not that far."

"Besides picking pumpkins, do you know what else they have to offer?"

Both parents watch the baby crawl around as Kim turns to answer Erin's follow up question, "I'm honestly not sure. I just know pumpkin picking and they'll probably have refreshments."

"Haven, no," Halstead scolded, hopping from the couch to quickly rush over to his daughter.

She was now seated near the front door, putting something too small for them to recognize what it is in her mouth. Erin jumped up too. Jay didn't bother to sit down or pick her up. Instead he leaned over, pried his daughter's mouth open and used his finger to scoop whatever inedible object she decided to put in her mouth out. She cried of course. Most babies would cry if someone held their chin and kept their lips parted while digging inside to grab some foreign item. Erin had sat down behind her, wrapped her arms around the baby's tiny waist and angled her head to see if she would be able to spot the object, "What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Jay kept his finger moving around, "I can feel it but she's fighting me on it."

"…just make sure she doesn't swallow," Erin asserted just as the baby cried louder.

"Got it," he declared, pulling his two fingers out of her mouth, "it's a button."

"That's where it went," Burgess exclaimed; she rose to her feet, avoided eye contact from her glaring friends and rushed over, "Thanks Jay and thanks Haven for finding it."

"Can you please be more careful next time? You can't just leave little things like that around; it could choke her." Erin didn't sound mad. She just sounded exhausted. She turned the small child around and pulled her into her arms, "Hi my baby," she brushed her nose across Haven's and just as proven many times before, a light smile ghosted her lips.

"The kid lives to see another day," Ruzek cheered, clapping his hands in acknowledgement.

The act earned an eye roll from Erin but Haven absolutely loved the gesture. While in her mom's arms, she joined in, clapping excitedly for a reason unknown to her. She's sat back down on her butt and Erin stands, walking close by as Haven continues to crawl around as if nothing happened. Lindsay followed behind; scanning the floor to ensure no more buttons or anything else tempting a ten month old to eat it is on the floor. She only felt comfortable enough to sit down when Haven crawled over to her dad sitting on the couch.

"Dada," Haven's hand rests against Jay's knee and she uses the little strength she has to pull herself onto her feet. His heart melted and he did everything in his power not to help her. She was independent like her mama and some of her favorite acts of independence is pulling herself onto her unstable and unreliable feet, knowing that once she let go, she would most likely fall back down.

Once she was standing, both hands on his knees, he lifted her palms and stood as well. She was much shorter and smaller than him by many. It was an adorable sight though. A strong, toned man holding both hands of his small, petite baby; he's taking small steps back as her feet turn inwards and attempts to take just the smallest step forward, supported and held up by his weight and grip. Drool covered her chin as her signature smile appeared on her face. She was having a blast, being perceived as a big girl and thinking she's walking and carrying her own weight as her dad leads her by the smallest steps around the living room.

"I swear," Erin withdraws her cell to record the moment between father and daughter, "her smile is the most beautiful thing in this world."

"I'm going to let go of her hands," Jay informs his wife.

"Is that a good idea?"

"She has to learn someday."

"Is today that day though? She's ten months."

"Babies can start walking as early as nine months."

Erin seems to consider it, recording the entire time and conversation, "Look at how she's looking at you," she grins down at her daughter's wide, hazel eyes beaming up at her father, "with the utmost trust. Babies are like that; they give out full and total trust. You let her go and she falls, if it hurts enough, she'll side-eye you. You're setting her up to fall. And right now she trusts you, she trusts that you wouldn't let her hurt herself. Want to risk that?"

Jay glances down at the baby, a small grin appearing on his face when he meets her eyes. He sees that trust, that love and innocence. With her mouth slightly ajar, and drool covering her chin, she continues to move forward as he steps back. He almost forgets the conversation; he almost forgets to reply, until he looks up and sees his wife waiting for a response.

"She's a risk-taker," at his words, Erin nods, "She's adventurous. She'll be fine."

Erin doesn't argue it anymore. She knows whatever he does is out of the best interest for their daughter. He would never purposely hurt her. And they both know that, and eventually Haven will too. Jay holds her hands and looks back down at her, "You ready, Havie?"

"Guys," the overzealous mother exclaims, ending the last video in preparation of recording another, "when she falls, because if we're being realistic here, she will fall, don't coddle her and don't act like anything bad happened because she'll cry. Let's just clap, encourage her and act like she just set a world record for walking."

By the end of her spill, Jay releases the baby's hands. And unsurprisingly, she falls right down. A look of clear panic crosses her little features but when Jay sets her back onto her feet with a hard kiss to the side of her head, she grins. He backs up a few feet, "Come on Haven. Come here baby," he coos, stooping low and opening his arms, "Come to dada. Come on."

Haven is standing, wobbling. She holds her arms out for her dad but when he doesn't come right away, a pout lines her lips. She sniffles in panic.

"Dada," she coos repeatedly, once, twice, a third time before the fourth leads to tears falling from her eyes. She no longer was focused on keeping her balance. She managed to stand alone a few seconds longer than the last time before toppling over. When her hands and knees hit the carpet, she wails, crying loudly as she crawls away.

Erin ends the video when the baby crawls to her feet.

"I told you," she says through gritted teeth. Was Erin a bit irritated? Yes. It came with the territory of being a new mother.

The expression on Erin's face changed from irritation to happiness when she looked back down at her kid, "You did so good," she commended, clapping her hands like a proud mother, "you are such a big girl," she stoops low to the ground and takes a seat in front of her.

And by the confused expression lining Haven's face, the tears suddenly stop. Her watery eyes contradicted the smile tugging at her lips. The streaks of tears contradicted the giggle that came from the pit of her stomach. She sits and claps along, babbling mama over and over again as each excited clap applauded from their hands. It seemed to do the job. Haven was no longer crying, but she also had no intention of crawling back over to her father. Jay wasn't worried though; babies had short term memories, she would eventually get over it and forget.

Haven crawls over to the coffee table, using its firm legs to pull herself to a standing position. She holds on with a death grip, mouth agape and looking around the room to smile at all of the beaming eyes. For a few seconds, she can stand unsupported. It's obvious by the way she occasionally changes her grip on the wooden table, switching from one hand to the other while scaling the side firm piece of wood.

"Haven," at the sound of her name being called from her father, she peers over her shoulder. Her grip on the coffee table remains as she gives him a smile; it appears all is forgotten and forgiven by the way the light shines in her eyes, "Come here."

Jay moves a little closer than he was before; she is a newbie walker, she didn't need too much space in between them and if he was lucky and fast enough, he'll be able to catch her when she starts to fall again. Erin records again in all hopes for a better outcome as Jay continues to encourage the wary baby. Babies aren't stupid. Haven knows what he wants her to do, but she also knows that what she's holding on to is keeping her from face planting on the floor. It takes a lot more effort from Jay, clapping his hands, waving her over, calling her name and saying encouraging words for her to even let go of the table.

Immediately she shakes and he's already prepared to reach out and catch her, but she doesn't fall. She remains standing. This time, he doesn't rush her. He allows her to get her bearings together before signaling exactly what he wants her to do.

"Haven…" his voice comes out as a whisper. He doesn't want to startle her and have her fall over, especially with a hard, coffee table positioned directly behind her. Depending on which way she fell, the possible pain wasn't worth pushing her to take a step or two.

Burgess notices his discomfort and gets up to slowly tiptoe by the coffee table, taking a stand nearby in case she goes backwards.

"Haven…" he calls again but this time he waves for her to approach.

With bright, hazel eyes staring into her dad's orbs, she considers it. She wobbles and almost falls but feels the hands of Burgess steady her.

"Here Jay," Erin asserts, tossing over the baby's beloved stuffed donkey.

And out of an instant want, her eyes grow wide and she reaches out for it. Without even thinking, she takes three steps forward before falling over, feeling herself caught by the arms of her dad before she could land face first on the ground. She might not have made it to him; he may have had to meet her halfway in order to catch her before she fell, but it didn't take away from the fact that she took not one or two, but three steps by herself without any help. And if she wasn't already safely held in her dad's arms, she would have fell over by the sudden sound of clapping and cheering from all four adults. Haven couldn't resist; the stuffed donkey dropped from her hands to allow her to clap along with everyone else. It was one of her favorite pastimes.

Erin pockets her cell and walks over, "That's enough walking for now," she scoops the baby and the stuffed donkey up in one act, "if we want to make it to the pumpkin patch before it gets dark, then we should start getting ready to head out."

Each adult nods in agreement, separating to accomplish different tasks. With the baby on her hip, Erin restocks the diaper bag; Burgess takes out the food to prepare later for lunch as Ruzek and Jay put on their socks and shoes and gather the car keys and the keys to the cabin. At one point the baby is passed from Erin to Ruzek as he ventures out to the car with Jay, "you know," Adam speaks up, "It's so good to see this little one safe and happy given everything that happened."

And speaking of the little girl, her head rests against the crook of Adam's neck; her light breathing raps against his skin as she clenches her stuffed donkey to her chest.

Jay sighs, "Yeah, she's strong like her mother."

"Strong isn't the word," Ruzek chuckles, rubbing circles over her back, "just last week I think she pulled out some of my hair. She took a grip and just pulled."

"I didn't mean that type of strong, but yeah, you're right about that too. A few days ago Bunny came to visit and she scratched her right in her face."

Adam's eyes widen, "Seriously?"

"Bunny was holding her and just kissing her and Haven had enough I guess. It wasn't on purpose but you know it made her mother proud."

Ruzek chuckles just as Jay opens the back seat of the rental car, "I can only imagine."

"Erin had a good laugh, but Bunny not so much."

"I figured…"

By the time Haven is buckled in and Jay starts the car, the girls are heading out, holding purses and the baby's diaper bag and scrambling towards the car. The short trip from the cabin to the patch was filled with a brief conversation and by the time they reach their location and park the car, the baby had fallen back to sleep. It was such a short nap and the moment they put her in the stroller, she's up again. Once they pay for their tickets and enter the park, Kim and Adam walk off for some alone time, holding hands and heading towards the trail ride.

Erin was on stroller duty, pushing the four-wheeled device as the baby excitedly looks around. Jay sticks close by, observing all the activities and the little kids running around with their parents trailing behind. When he spots a line of games, he waves his wife to follow, "I'm going to win you a prize."

"I can't remember the last time you won me something," she followed behind, "I'm excited."

Jay is reaching inside his wallet to grab the few dollars needed to pay for the game. He's handed five balls just as Erin unstraps the kid from her stroller. Haven is lifted and sat against her mom's hip just as Jay throws the first ball.

"You got it babe," she cheered, clapping her hands enthusiastically.

He tossed her a grin before throwing another ball.

"Let's clap for daddy," Erin encouraged; she balanced the baby against her hip and clapped her hands, knowing that Haven would mimic the act. She absolutely loved clapping her little palms.

"I love your smile," he complimented towards the baby before tossing another ball.

While this one missed, Haven still clapped. She remained oblivious to the game occurring in front of her and how it all operates. Her only source of entertainment came from the concentrated look on her dad's face. Erin readjusts the baby on her hips, "Alright babe," she claps, "you just need one more if you're going to win us a prize."

"Start picking out which one you want," he confidently asserted, angling his wrist in the best direction, "this shouldn't take long at all."

She rolled her eyes at his arrogance.

The baby squirmed in her arms and Erin took a step back to avoid distracting Jay. It was taking him longer than normal to throw the last ball. He was too focused, concentrated on the game in order to successfully win his wife a stuffed animal she could honestly do without. The baby continued to grow restless and bored and to be honest so was Erin, "Can you just throw the ball already? You'll either hit it or you won't."

"Thanks for your confidence," he rolled his eyes.

Yet, the ball remained in his hand. He waited for the kids beside him to finish playing before he even looked back at the game.

With the baby's constant squirming, Erin decides to place her down on her wobbly feet, holding her hands as she stands and bounces in front of her. Occasionally she would lean or tilt but her mother's legs were always there for support. Both of Erin's pointer fingers were held by Haven's small, yet tight grip, "You got this babe. Just throw."

"Kiss the ball Havie," he holds it down to her eye level, "for good luck."

"No Jay; you don't know where that ball has been."

Jay nods, withdrawing it away from the baby's face. Instead, without giving it a second thought to contemplate over blowing the game, he throws it. And thankfully, he makes the shot. It hits the required target and out of some wifely impulse, she releases the baby's hands to clap ecstatically. Haven holds her balance but the second she mimics her mother's clapping, she starts to tumble over only to be caught by Jay's arms swooping in to lift her up.

"What would you like?"

Erin turns away from her family to look up at the game host. He patiently waited for an answer and now as she stands and thinks, she really should have decided back when Jay had told her. As she scans the row of hanging stuffed animals, she spots Haven's stuffed donkey in the stroller and while it looked torn and worn, she knew there was no way Haven would want a replacement. Even if Erin was going to replace it, this particular stand held no stuffed donkeys, "I'll take the stuffed unicorn," she collects her prize once the man holds it out, "Thanks."

It had drawn in her daughter's attention right away. It was white with pink hooves and it's horn matched the shade of pink on its hooves. From her husband's arms, Haven reached for the animal and knowing her tiny child wouldn't be able to hold it on her own, Erin extends it towards her anyway. The stuffed animal was pretty big. It's head was practically the size of Haven and it's body was probably two or three of her put together.

"How are we going to transport this back home?" Erin tucks it under her arm as Jay sets the baby back inside of her stroller.

"We can mail it back."

The answer is accepted by the simple nod of her head. Erin holds her arm around the neck of the unicorn and follows behind her husband to venture further inside. A few more games they played as they passed, including a squirting water game, played solely by Jay but with the baby on his lap as he maneuvered her hands over the buttons and pushed them down for her. They didn't come in first place, not even second or third, but fourth was pretty impressive. Eventually as the day went on, the baby no longer sat in her stroller; it had been reserved for the unicorn. That stuffed animal was more of an inconvenience to hold than a ten month old baby.

"Excuse me," Erin felt the bottom of her shirt being tugged, "Lemonade?"

The family looks over to a small lemonade stand set up near the entrance of the actual pumpkin patch. Sitting behind the stand is another little girl around the same age as the one who approached Erin. She read the sign; it was fifty cents for a cup. And in support Erin grabbed a dollar, "We'll take two."

The other little girl, with the supervision of her mother, pours two plastic cups of lemonade and passes the refreshing beverage over to her. Jay comes to grab his cup, sliding his daughter to his opposite hip in order to easily lean forward and grab the glass, "Yummy," he heard Erin compliment, "This is just what I needed." The two little girls laughed and their mother watched on.

Jay and Erin continued on to see what else this event had to offer. They wanted to pick pumpkins last, maybe after Kim and Adam are finished with their alone time. Currently, the couple was back from their hayride and were now battling each other in various games.

"I'll be right back," Erin called out, leaving her husband, baby and stroller behind as she walked to stand in line to a concession stand.

Balancing the baby on one hip and pushing the stroller with his free hand, he walks through the crowd, being careful not to bump into anyone or crash the stroller into the back of anyone's ankles. It was a skill picked up by being a parent. You learned to carry and manage multiple things. And honestly, he's seen his wife do this and so much more. She managed to hold a crying baby, a diaper bag, her purse and push a stroller –the powers of motherhood.

An empty bench is offered to him by a couple and he happily and thankfully accepts it. He locks the wheels of the stroller parked beside him and sits the baby down on the other side. Jay had watched her the entire time as she watched her mom stand in line. Haven was aware of so much and it amazed him every day just how smart kids truly are; they honestly don't get enough credit. Jay saw her try to slide to the edge of the bench and he simply slides his hands beneath her underarms and sits her back, flushing her back against the back of the bench and her short legs rest spread wide open. One day, her legs will grow long enough to dangle over the bench and eventually they'll dangle and her feet will rest against the ground like his.

All of the people here used to be her age. They used to be her size and had the innocence that she currently possesses. At some point, it's unfortunately lost. Haven finally pulls her eyes away from her mother to watch children run around and play; she's too young to join in. But, one day that'll be her, running around and playing with Danny and Owen. Haven turns to see a couple jogging with their dog strapped to a leash. Erin and Jay used to go out jogging but honestly it all stopped the moment she came into the picture. It just didn't feel like they had enough time, between work, friends and family, it was a lot to manage. The seat on the opposite side of Haven is taken soon enough by a couple around the same age as her own parents.

"Oh, she's just too adorable," the woman perched atop of her boyfriend's lap complimented, "How old is she?"

Jay watches his daughter as he answers, "Ten months."

"Hi," the woman waved yet Haven simply stared.

"Say hi," Jay does a wave towards the woman. He watches his daughter in an effort to coax her into greeting the lady beside her. Haven doesn't. It seems to go by her unnoticed since her eyes are back on her mother, smiling as she watches Erin come over.

Erin's cup of lemonade was empty and she makes a short stop to drop it into the trash before continuing her walk, "Here, taste please," she extends the dessert towards him, "It's pumpkin bread and Kim recommended it so I had to give it a try."

Jay rips off a piece just as Erin breaks off a tinier piece, extending it towards Haven. The baby opens her mouth and eats it from her mom's fingers.

"It's pretty good."

"Pretty good," Erin repeats in surprise, "this is delicious. I'll have to look up a recipe." She breaks off another small piece and feeds the baby again.

"Hey guys," Ruzek jogged over, "the pumpkin patch is getting a little crowded. We should go in before all of the nice and fresh pumpkins are taken."

After withdrawing their tickets from her pocket, she hands them over to Jay after he unlocks the wheels of the stroller. Kim picks up Haven and Erin grabs the handles of the stroller to follow them and push through the crowd.

"I'm starving. I can't wait to get back and cook lunch."

"Pumpkin bread," Erin holds it out while pushing the stroller with her free hand.

"Yes, thank you," Kim eagerly breaks a piece; Haven reaches for the piece in Kim's hand and tries to take it for herself only to be disappointed when it's quickly thrown into Kim's mouth. She grabs another piece, one that is much smaller than the last and hands it to the baby, "Hopefully all is forgiven?"

And by the smile on Haven's face, Kim would assume so.

Handing their tickets over and being granted access to the pumpkin patch, they find the clearest spot they can –which is still crowded- and they lock the wheels of the stroller in order to search.

"Want to help?" Burgess sits the baby down onto her feet and maybe it's the ground, the grass and the dirt but Haven seems more stable and balanced planted on her two feet this time. She doesn't walk though and she barely moves. It's like she knows that any type of movement will send her falling. Kim crouches down beside her and lifts a pumpkin, "Do you like this one?"

"That's huge," Adam retorted, grabbing another pumpkin, "What about this?"

Jay shakes his head, "That shape is all off. She would want one like this."

"No," Erin rejects all of the recommendations, "That's discolored. If I know my daughter, this is the pumpkin for her," she holds it up.

"How about we let Haven be the judge?"

No verbal agreement is made but it's understood. Each adult stoops down low in front of the ten month old and hold out their chosen pumpkins. Haven looks at each one, not examining it for detail or anything of the sort; she's looking at it with interest and curiosity. It was the first time she's seen such a thing –a pumpkin. Haven takes a step forward and wobbles a bit, only for Jay to grab her arm in order to hold her upright.

"Do you like the pumpkin mommy picked out?" Erin asks, holding her chosen one up.

"No," Jay intercepts and sits his wife's pumpkin back on the ground, "You can't coax her into getting it. Let her choose naturally."

"She doesn't know to choose naturally," Erin argued.

"Guys…" Adam whispered.

"You're going to make her choose based off the person and not the actual pumpkin," Kim added.

Erin rolled her eyes, "How do you expect her to choose? It's not like she's going to be making a pros and cons list on each pumpkin."

"Guys…" Adam repeated a little louder this time.

"Give her a little credit," Jay retorted.

"I give her enough credit but she doesn't know that we want her to pick one."

Kim nods in support of Erin's last comment, "I agree, she doesn't know, but maybe we sit them down and move away from them and whichever one she goes to first is the one she chooses."

"Guys..! Look," Ruzek's voice is much louder, firmer and fixed. He's nodding towards the baby. His pumpkin no longer in his arms and he's standing near Haven, holding her hand as she leans forward to play with a pumpkin, "I think she chose one already." And it happened to be none of theirs. She had found one on her own, it's smaller than the ones they chose, it isn't exactly the perfect shape but she seems to like it.

"I guess that's one way to have her choose," Erin shrugs, rising and lifting her pumpkin up as well, "And I think we all found our pumpkins too."

Collecting their pumpkins and doing one last walk through of everything the Halloween event has to offer, they decide to head back to the cabin. Soon, it'll be time for trick or treating and this place turns into a haunted, scary event for the older kids in town. Erin didn't want Haven anywhere near that. Tucking their pumpkins and the large stuffed animal in the trunk of the car, slamming it shut and hopping inside, each person –besides the driver- relaxes and shuts their eyes for a few minutes as they head back to the cabin.

That powernap is needed because by the time they get back to the cabin Kim and Erin start preparing lunch, Haven is energized and sits near the cabinets, opens them and starts to pull out as many pots and pans as she can before she's stopped by her mother. Erin didn't realize how necessary baby proofing is until this vacation; she had taken it for granted at home. Knowing if she looked away for a second Haven wouldn't be able to stick her finger in a socket, open bottom cabinets and pull out whatever's inside or climb up the stairs. To keep her occupied though, Erin may have stopped her from pulling out more pots and pans, but the ones she did pull out, Erin kept out and smiled as Haven started making music, beating her hands against the metal or lifting the smallest pot to bang against another.

Jay is at the table lying out newspaper as Ruzek brings each pumpkin inside and rinses them off. It's teamwork. Erin and Kim cooking lunch while Adam and Jay cut the crown off each pumpkin and began scooping the gunk out of the inside. Hearing the sounds of banging pots and pans allowed the parents to look away for longer periods of time, as long as they heard the noise, they knew where she was and what she was doing.

As the food cooks, Erin brings one pot, one pan and a wooden spoon into the living room. It's a better viewpoint from the dining room table than it is from the kitchen. It gives them all a view from the table as Kim and Erin join the guys in outlining the design they want on their pumpkins with a marker before cutting out the shape with a serrated knife.

"I have no artistic ability," Kim jokes, laughing at the design of her pumpkin; it's unfinished but at the rate she's going, it'll be done soon.

"That's because you're rushing," Erin remarked, only just now finishing the first eye of her pumpkin, "You can't rush art."

"It's not like it's going to be in a gallery somewhere."

Erin rolled her eyes, "You're just jealous."

Both Erin and Jay stopped carving when the sound of banging pots and pans had stopped. Both were alerted to the presence of their daughter, sitting by her instruments and averting her eyes between her new toys and her parents sitting at the table. It was as if she was debating on what to do. Did she want to continue making music or did she want to join them in whatever they were doing? Finally, she made up her mind just as Kim finished her pumpkin and went to go check on the food. Haven crawled over, taking a seat at her mom's feet before using Erin's leg to pull herself up. She was trying to see onto the table but her height was too short.

Holding up her messy hands, Erin slides her arms underneath the baby's underarms and lifts her onto her lap, being careful not to mess up her clothes with the pumpkin carvings and guts on her fingers. Haven leans back, resting the back of her head between her mother's breasts as Erin continues to carve her pumpkin. She's going even slower than she was at first since Haven is now on her lap and she's cutting into a pumpkin with a sharp, serrated knife.

"So, what's the plan for the rest of our vacation? We only have today planned out." It's Kim who sparks the conversation as she re-enters the dining room, holding a bag of tea lights in her hand.

"Jay and I were talking about going hiking Sunday morning," Ruzek informed, brows furrowed as he concentrated on the face of his pumpkin, "We had spotted a trail a few minutes from here when we were heading towards the pumpkin patch."

Erin brushed a kiss atop her daughter's head, "Is it kid friendly?"

"I guess, maybe if we go the basic route."

"Okay that's Sunday," Burgess said, inserting a tea light inside of her pumpkin, "What about tomorrow? We have a whole day ahead of us on Saturday?"

"There's that fall festival," Erin spoke up, brushing another kiss against the back of her daughter's head, "we did research before we came down to see what events would be going on. I saw something about a fall festival and it's about a thirty minute drive from here. It has hayrides, games, a live band, candy apples, corn on the cob, apple-picking and if you dress up in a costume you get in for free."

"I love that, it'll definitely exhaust Haven so she falls right to sleep and maybe when we get back we can make a nice pot of chili tomorrow for dinner, curl up in front of the fire, watch a movie and tell ghost stories –something relaxing before that strenuous hike the next day."

A chorus of agreements float around the table. The aroma of tonight's dinner starts to fill the house. The food was going to be done soon. No one needed to check on it to know that. Haven continues to sit between her mother's arms as Erin finishes off the mouth of the pumpkin. Everyone had already been done with theirs, inserting the tea lights, and Jay and Ruzek had brought Haven's pumpkin to the table last with every intention to teamwork it.

Once finished with her own pumpkin, Erin sets the baby back down on the floor and goes to wash her hands. Kim checks on the food while Jay and Adam argue over how to divide the tasks. It eventually gets settled on Adam cutting open the crown and scooping out the gunk while Jay draws the decorative outline and carving it out.

"It's getting late," Kim mentions, "What time should we start getting ready to head out?"

While rinsing the pumpkin carvings off her hands, Erin responds, "It's only a little after two in the afternoon. We have time, but I figure we can start getting ready after we eat. Jay and I are going to need as much time as possible to wrangle in the toddler, give her a bath and dress her in her costume. Just bear with us."

Lindsay reaches and dries her hand on the towel thrown onto the counter before venturing off in search of her little one. Erin sees Jay watching her as Ruzek scoops the mess out of the inside of her smaller pumpkin. Haven is back at the large windows looking out at the lake; she's absolutely obsessed with the view and Erin couldn't blame her. This time though, Haven wasn't sitting, she may have crawled over but she used the small, end table to pull herself to her feet and both of her hands rest against the glass as she stares out, "If we ever move, we need to search for a place with a view. It keeps her occupied."

"You won't hear any arguments from me on that."

"Haven," Erin calls out gently; she's careful not to startle her daughter as she approaches, "What is it about this view, huh?" She doesn't expect an answer. She simply crouches down beside her daughter, holds her hand up against Haven's back and looks out with her.

Haven turns to face her mom, hands no longer on the glass but now resting on her mother's knees. Erin smiles, "I never knew what it would feel like to have my heart beating outside of my body until I had you." Her words are just above a whisper and aren't meant for anyone's ears but her daughter's. This relationship she's building with her would be the complete opposite of the one she had with her own mother. Her daughter's life would be filled with good memories, endless love and that constant reminder that she's always wanted.

Her daughter wouldn't have to look for attention elsewhere. She wouldn't need to take care of her and Jay; a parents' responsibility is to take care of their child until they're old enough to take care of themselves. Haven wouldn't need to search for love in the wrong places and build friendships for all the wrong reasons. She would be reminded of just how much she's loved every day; she'll be told so much she'll want it to stop but Erin doesn't think she will ever be capable of stopping.

If Erin had to thank Bunny for anything, it'll be to show her how to avoid being a bad mother. That's a fear of all new mothers, wondering what if you cross that line and venture into the territory of being titled a bad mother and for Bunny, she did cross that line, at least in Erin's mind. She used drugs and alcohol and enabled the same of her daughter. She approved of the bad influences in Erin's life and wanted the good influences, like the Voights, to stay away. Erin never had rules; she could go a night or two without going home and her mother wouldn't even have noticed. Sometimes her mother wouldn't even return home. Sometimes, most times, her mother wouldn't even pay the bills because she chose to use the money on her own personal wants instead of what was best for them both. Charlie had taken Erin and Annie under his wing, provided them with a warm place to stay and actual food on the table. She had been arrested, suspended from school, and so much more yet she's here in this moment with a good career, the best husband and a great daughter. And even though she went through all of that growing up, she knows it needed to happen. It was supposed to happen in order to get her to this moment. She is the best mother she can be because Bunny wasn't.

Haven's hands continued to rest against her mother's knees but her attention was drawn outside of the window. Erin's palms covered them and it turned her daughter's attention back to her.

"Give mama kiss," Erin puckered her lips and just like many times before Haven leaned forward and brushed her own lips against her mom's, "Thank you."

Erin remains crouched low, legs growing tired but she refused to move as long as Haven's hands remained resting against her knees. Both mother and daughter watched nature move around outside, from the trees blowing in the wind, the birds flying above and the ducks swimming through the lake, it all was enchanting and held both of their attention. It was peaceful. The chatter behind them seemed to fade out, until she felt Kim's hand on her shoulder. Erin looked up to see her friend smiling, "You didn't hear me. The food is ready."

The baby's hand is removed the second Erin stands up straight. Haven wobbles, unsuspecting of the sudden change and she tumbles down to her behind. Fortunately, she doesn't cry. Erin scoops her daughter up and carries her over to the table. Time had passed while she bonded with her ten month old. Apparently, the guys finished Haven's pumpkin, cleaned up the mess at the table, washed the knives and helped Kim set the table for dinner.

"Sorry guys, I would have helped…" she felt bad but they brushed it off.

"You were busy," Jay says, nodding towards the baby in her arms, "don't worry about it."

Erin sits with Haven on her lap. A part of her isn't ready to relinquish hold of her daughter just yet. She needed a moment. She needed a few moments. With her daughter's back pressed against her chest, Erin snuggled into her, burying her face into the crook of her daughter's neck. She'll feed her. Jay can bathe her. Two empty plates are set down in front of her and Erin smiles thankfully at her husband; he already knows what she's thinking. The food is passed around the table and each person makes their plates; Erin makes two, one for herself and one for Haven. The baby's plate though consists of a morsel of each dish cooked. She was going to have a bottle a little later anyway.

"It's going to be so creepy at night."

"What is?" Erin asks as she cuts up her daughter's chicken.

"…the cabin."

"I don't think this place can get creepy."

"Yeah, true in the daytime, but when the sun goes down anyone will be able to look in here or try to break in, using the darkness as cover."

Haven reaches to grab a piece of her cut up chicken; Erin smiles, sets the knife as far away to the side and responds, "Whoever breaks into a cabin full of detectives does not have the best of luck."

"What if someone watches us from outside?"

Ruzek chuckles, "Babe," he pats Kim's hand reassuringly, "everyone sleeps upstairs so it's not like they'll watch us as we sleep."

"What if they watch us while we're awake?"

Jay shrugs unbothered, "…then let's give them a show."

Erin rotates between eating her meal and feeding Haven hers. The only thing the baby uses her fingers for is the cut up chicken. Occasionally Erin scoops a bit of squash or mashed potatoes up on the spoon and airplane feeds it to the baby. Within seconds, her mouth becomes covered and smeared with squash and mashed potatoes. Erin leaves it; it's no point in wiping it away right now when it'll only return. Haven reaches for another bite of chicken when she already held a piece in her hand. She babbled to herself, no longer eating and showing no interest in putting either piece of chicken in her mouth. As long as she was content though, Erin was fine and just focused in on eating her own meal.

"Have you guys started planning for her first birthday yet?"

The conversation had moved on at some point; Erin was too distracted with Haven to notice until the focus of Kim's stare pulled her back in, "Pardon?"

"I was wondering whether or not you guys have started planning for her first birthday."

"It's not until December," Jay remarked.

"So, I know mothers who start planning months in advance. To them, if you started now they would probably consider it last minute."

"That's ridiculous," Ruzek chimed in.

"And besides she's turning one, she won't even remember what we do for her birthday," Jay makes a valid point, "We'll probably just have some family and friends at the house. We'll save the grand birthday parties for when she's old enough to remember them."

Kim nods. Jay rises from the table to dispose of his empty plate. And when he returns, his eyes are set on the baby sitting in her mother's lap, playing with her food.

"Here," he lifts the already made bottle from the table and extends it.

Haven drops the chicken out of her hands and reaches for it, "Dada."

"Crap," Erin muttered, reaching onto her lap to grab the chicken her daughter carelessly dropped.

"Let's go little bit," Jay asserts, opening his arms up for her, "You are in desperate need of a bath and then costume time."

Haven has her bottle in her mouth and she drinks the formula inside the bottle, her unfinished plate is forgotten. Since both of her hands are occupied, she simply leans forward and allows herself to be swept up in her dad's arms, "Remember lukewarm water," Erin called out.

"This isn't my first rodeo," he shouted over his shoulder, "but I'm going to let her finish her bottle first. I'll leave her down here while I run up to start her bath water."

Jay sits her down and pecks the top of her head as she continues to drink her bottle. Her hands and mouth are completely filthy and based on the smile on her face it seems she absolutely loves it. She's absorbed by the warm formula in her bottle, drinking down the last of her meal as her dad walks away. Either full or uninterested in the rest of her bottle, she drops it and rolls onto her hands and knees, following in the direction of her dad as he climbs the stairs.

"Babe," Erin calls out, finishing up the rest of her meal, "the baby is following you."

He stops in the middle of the staircase and turns around. Haven is one stair up, using the wood steps and the railing to climb. Jay walks back down the stairs and moves behind the baby. He wants to encourage her. He stands behind her just in case she tumbles back, but it seems to take forever for her to even attempt to get to the next step. It's hard for her, especially with her wobbly feet. She tries to use the strength in her ankles and her wrists to push up and climb onto the next step, "That's right baby!"

Haven looks over at the sound of her mother's cheer. Jay is leant forward, hands wrapped around her small waist as she raises one hand to wave at her mom. At this rate, it's going to take all night for her to get up the stairs. Instead of patiently waiting, he impatiently scoops her up and climbs the staircase two at a time.

"I haven't been trick or treating since I was a little girl!" Kim appears to be more excited than anyone as she and Erin clear off the table.

"Well technically we're taking her trick or treating, we're not actually trick or treating ourselves."

"Same thing," Kim brushed off.

"Did you bring the basket?" Erin scrapes the scraps of food off the plate and into the trash.

"I sure did," Kim answers, "and I brought the stuffed dog."

Ruzek entered the kitchen, "Alright ladies, I just put our pumpkins outside and I lit the tea lights, they look creepy enough. Anyway, I'm about to head upstairs and put on my costume."

"I'll be up soon," Burgess called out, bringing the last dish back into the kitchen.

Lindsay and Burgess pack up the leftover food, rinse, wash and load the dishes inside the dishwasher and clear off the table before heading upstairs. Kim heads left and Erin heads right to poke her head inside of the bathroom. Jay had just finished bathing her. She was seated on a towel at his feet as he washed his hands at the sink.

"Why are you washing your hands?" Erin smirks, leaning against the opened door, "And why is she naked and sitting on her towel?"

"She spit up the second I lifted her from the tub so I had to put your kid in the sink to basically give her a second bath," he grumbled, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Before Erin had a chance to laugh or even respond, the naked baby had rolled onto her hands and knees and started crawling down the hallway, only standing when she makes it to the staircase, grabbing onto the railing and pulling herself to her feet.

"No, no, no," Erin chided, running over to her, "You're not ready for that."

Jay pokes his head out of the bathroom; his eyes wide and frantic until he spots the naked baby now in her mother's hold, "Okay good, you caught her."

"I swear she moves fast."

He chuckles, lifting her towel from the floor to carry it over, "Tell me about it. She tried to escape when I sat her down beside me to take her onesie off. That's why I closed the door."

"You basically had to hold her against her will."

Jay nods, handing over the towel, "Exactly."

Erin feels the slight shiver coming from her daughter as she drapes the towel around her shoulders, "Let's get you into your costume my sweet Dorothy." Jay follows behind.

The process of dressing a ten month old was somewhat simple. She made it easy for them, most likely because she was cold and in need of clothes on her body. Haven didn't even fight her mother when she parted the little bit of hair of top her head into two and used two blue ribbons to make the shortest pigtails.

It was Kim's idea for all of them to be in a group costume so once Haven's costume was chosen, there's were selected based off of that. Erin beautifully stands in front of her daughter poised as the good witch as Jay is beside her dressed as the scarecrow. Haven is little Dorothy with her hair in two short pigtails, the blue and white checkered pattern dress, white socks and ruby red shoes. These shoes had to be the ones Haven loved the most; these shoes were the only ones she has not tried to pull off her feet. She didn't give them a tug at all.

"Come on my little Dorothy," Erin scoops her daughter up and carries her out of the room, "Jay, don't move so fast, you're dropping hay."

He chuckled and went back for the few strands that came out, "I'll meet you guys downstairs. I'm just going to get my costume in order."

Erin laughs and walks away, noticing how Haven stares amazed –or possibly confused- at her dad's sudden wardrobe change. She hears talking coming from downstairs, and her nosiness kicks in, forcing her to shift in her mom's arms to see.

"Alright guys," Erin called out, carefully climbing down the stairs, "we need to get Dorothy back to Kansas tonight."

Haven's eyes are focused downward, staring at the bright, ruby red slippers on her feet. It's too shiny and distracting for her to tear away. It's only when a basket is held out that she looks up. It's a baby's basket –so small and lightweight. And inside is the smallest stuffed dog that Kim was able to find to actually fit inside of it.

"Can't go back to Kansas without Toto."

The grip she has on the basket is impressive. Haven held on tightly to it even as her mother sat her down on the ground. The basket may have been in her hold and the shoes may have been constantly calling for the baby's attention but Kim's costume is what truly held it. While Ruzek was the lion, Kim was dressed as the wicked witch of the west, green painted face, hands and all.

"You really went all out," Erin whispered, walking over to examine the face paint, "That's going to be a bitch to scrub off, especially off your eyebrows."

"It'll be worth it."

"I don't think Haven knows how she feels about your costume just yet."

At Ruzek's words, they turn to face her. She's no longer sitting. Now she stands, hand clutching onto the couch to keep her from falling over. And somehow, she had managed to still hold the small handle of the basket, keeping her grip firm as if she was afraid that it'll disappear if she let it go. But while she stood there, body angled towards her mom, her attention was all on Kim. She didn't know whether to giggle, smile or cry. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if it was funny or scary. She's so distracted by Kim's appearance that she lets go of the couch and for the first time she takes a step and continues to stand; she doesn't fall over.

"Erin, did you see that?" It's Jay's voice as he watches from the stairs.

"Yes," Erin spoke in a whisper; she didn't want to startle the baby, especially as she ran to go retrieve her cell phone, "I'm taking pictures and recording this. I'll have to send it to Voight."

Haven stands on her own, dressed as Dorothy and holding Toto. Erin returns, phone in hand and the camera app loaded up and ready. She takes multiple shots, not even looking at the screen to see if they're actually presentable. She'll look and pick through them later.

"Good job Haven," Kim applauded, stepping towards her. The basket in Haven's hand drops and Erin continues to take more.

It seems as if the baby is still trying to figure out how to feel in regards to Kim's costume. She wants to figure it out from a distance though, so when Burgess takes another step, Haven takes another step away from Kim and towards her father. She actually managed to take two complete steps without falling; that's an accomplishment within itself. And when Erin nods for Kim to continue approaching her daughter, possibly unnerving the poor child into another step away from Burgess and towards her dad. Jay takes a seat on the bottom step, "Come here baby," he opens his arms for her and she accepts the gesture, taking the final two steps needed to reach him. And just before she topples over, losing her balance from being a newbie walker and standing for such a long period of time, Jay swoops in, collecting her in his embrace, "That's my girl," he peppers kisses around her face as the adults in the room clap and cheer.

Haven didn't know what she had done to receive such a congratulatory applause but she liked it. She even joined in and started babbling animatedly while clapping her own hands. She didn't need a reason to clap, just seeing everyone beaming at her while applauding her for some unknown reason. The clapping only dies down when Erin grabs Dorothy's basket and the baby's thin jacket just in case there's a slight chill.

"Should we go right or left?"

Burgess doesn't answer but she leads the way. She had time to explore before the Halsteads arrived and she located the lines of houses leading towards the bonfire tonight. It wasn't many homes on such a reserved and secluded street but it was enough for a ten month old to experience her first Halloween. Their little Dorothy was carried most of the way and only set down onto her feet after they climbed the porch stairs of the first house. Each of her small hands was held by her parents as Jay rang the doorbell, "Trick or treat," he stared down at Haven the entire time.

An elderly couple answers and Erin swaps her hand for Haven's basket. Her stance is being supported by her dad's hand as she holds her basket.

"Aw, now isn't she just the cutest Dorothy," the elderly woman admired, leaning low to place one chocolate bar inside of her basket, "Look at her Walter. Doesn't she remind you of our little Jennifer," the woman looks up to meet Erin's gaze, "Jennifer is our granddaughter; they're about the same age; happy Halloween, sweetie," the couple waves before shutting the door.

As they leave the front porch, other children are running up, dressed as goblins, witches, ghouls and vampires. Haven is transfixed upon their costumes, staring at them even as she's carried away to the next house. When she spots another group of kids, dressed up as cats, princesses and television characters, she points her finger over her dad's shoulder and babbles loudly.

"Are you looking at the princess?" Erin ponders, following her daughter's line of sight, "Want to be a princess next year. Duly noted."

By the third and fourth house, her basket was already filled to the top. There was no point in finishing down the row of houses, especially because Haven didn't seem as excited about the idea of trick or treating as her parents had. Haven was more engrossed by the other children dressed in costumes, jumping inside piles of leaves and visiting the same houses in a row since the street was limited in how many homes were built.

"Bonfire," Kim calls out, grabbing onto her fiancé's hand and tugging him away.

While the couple was eager to cuddle up in front of the bonfire, Jay and Erin saw the pond and watched Haven's interested gaze observe the ducks walk along the ground and float on top of the water. This vacation was more for her than it was for them; if they wanted an adult trip, they would have left her at home with Voight or Olive.

"Want to see the ducks?" Jay scoops her up and sets her on his shoulders.

By instinct, she holds onto his ears as he holds tightly onto her short legs draped over his shoulders. Erin walks closely behind, taking photos and allowing those new mother worries to take over, "Hold her tight," she continued to warn, "Be careful; she keeps letting go of your ears to clap," she pocketed her cell after realizing multitasking this was too difficult right now, "She can always walk; how about we let her walk? It's much safer."

"I'll put her down when we get closer to the pond," Jay chuckles, extending one hand to hold the baby's hand while the other continued to hold onto her leg.

"Look at the ducks Havie," Erin pointed out.

Both parents would love to know what she's thinking as her wide hazel eyes scan the ducks walking around and quacking. She points occasionally, following their moving bodies with her finger. She even babbles and claps her hands when she sees them flap their wings but go nowhere; they simply lift a few feet from the ground, their wings flapping against the water, but they remain floating.

"Look at them go," Jay whispers, watching as a family of ducks run across the field on their way back to the pond. Most of the ducks, if not all, were headed back to the water, probably because the town's bonfire was filling with people, including children who didn't understand that they shouldn't chase or try to aggressively grab the ducks.

When the family of ducks makes it back to the water, Haven is put back down on the ground; holding onto the bottom of her mom's costumed dress for support. Her attention is completely absorbed by the sight of them. She loves animals and it's a sweet sight to see. Every day they discover her likes and dislikes and animals are definitely something she finds herself enjoying. With her hand wrapped around the bottom fabric of the dress, she gives it a tug until Erin looks down, spotting her daughter looking up at her while pointing her finger to the ducks.

"Yes, can you say ducks?"

She doesn't.

Instead just as quickly as one would imagine how short a baby's attention span is, it breaks away from the ducks when she sees a family of trick or treaters, all dressed in similar costumes. The youngest of the kids is who draws Haven in; the little girl has to be a little over a year and by recognizing another fellow baby in the bunch, she runs over, her parents following closely behind. The mother is blushing by the time she catches up to her daughter who stands smiling a few feet from them, "Isn't she just the cutest pirate?"

"Thank you," the woman scoops her daughter up into her arms.

"Hi sweetheart," Erin waves at the little girl and grins even wider when she returns the sentiment, "I just adore your costume."

"Can you say thank you?"

At her mother's words, the little girl bashfully turns to burrow her face into the crook of her mother's neck, before nodding, "Thank you," she murmured.

And before Erin could respond with a 'you're welcome,' she heard whining. Her ten month old was looking up at her, eyes wide and watery, yanking at her mom's dress as she holds her arms up indicating her interest to be lifted. Haven was jealous. That much was obvious. She wasn't prone to sharing her mother's attention with another baby.

To appease her daughter and quiet her whines, Erin lifts her up, smirking as Haven mimics the other baby's bashful position. She buries her face into the crook of her neck and sniffles. Erin rubs circles into her daughter's back as Jay makes their exit, nodding towards the young family before leading his own away.

Burgess and Ruzek are now standing in a cluster of people; Erin and Jay have no idea what's going on but they prefer to stay away from such a large group of people, especially with a fussy ten month old acting extra clingy in her arms. It left the Halsteads scanning the rows of lawn chairs in search of an available one. It's located but it's pretty close to the fire so Jay leaves their side to pull it back a few feet, "Thanks babe," Erin carries the baby over and she waits for Jay to sit first.

Once he's rested on the lawn chair, legs spread open and feet planted firmly on the ground. Some of the hay from his costume had fallen along the way but trick or treating was over and he couldn't find it in himself to care. With the baby on her hip, Erin took a seat between his opened legs, leaning back to rest her back against his chest as the baby sat on her lap.

"That's such a cute costume," a parent complimented, glancing at Haven as they walked pass.

"Thank you."

The fire burns high. The fire is hot and warms everyone within feet of it. Some people are sitting closer than others, but with an energetic ten month old, it was better and safer to sit at a distance. Jay leaned his chin to rest against his wife's shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist, "We needed this break," his lips brushed against the skin behind her ear.

"…maybe we should make a tradition out of this."

"Vacations around Halloween or coming here around Halloween?"

She shifts in his embrace to look up at him, "Coming here…it's peaceful. It's out of the city and the baby seems to enjoy it. It's just with everything we've been through from losing Jules, Charlie coming back, Bunny, Nadia, my relapse, your divorce, work, Tyler, all of that. We deserve this."

Jay stares forward, watching the flames of the fire blaze and start to lighten the surroundings as the sun starts to set. She was right. Sometimes taking a step back, going somewhere quiet is good; it's okay. His hold around her waist tightened and he pulled her closer, "We almost didn't have this. We almost didn't make it."

"Are you referring to you and your first wife being the reason why?"

He rolls his eyes, "I never loved her. It was a mistake."

"What about when you walked out on me all those years ago?"

A reflective smile graced his face, "You and I both know I needed to do that. I didn't like it but I had to do it. I got the help I needed. And besides, I came back didn't I?"

"Yeah," she whispered, "You did."

Haven squirms in her mother's embrace, too energetic to remain lying in her arms. She wanted to get up, she wanted to move around and spread her legs. Erin allowed her to wriggle out of her arms and onto her feet, standing a bit unbalanced on the dried dirt. Her hand remains against her mother's thigh, holding herself up as Erin leans back into Jay's arms, "Why did you leave?"

She continues the topic, angling her head to glance at his face as he considered his answer; he shrugs, "I'm not sure really. Part of me didn't want you to have to deal with my issues, especially because I knew your past and you didn't deserve to tack on my weight too. And another part of me was a little embarrassed about it and looking back, I know that was stupid and I could have just stayed and worked through it with you, but I did what I thought was best."

"I love you, you know that, right?"

He brushed his lips over hers with a small smile, "Yeah I do."

The small brush of the lips turns into something more, something deeper that only ends when Erin draws away the second she feels Haven's hand disappear from her thigh. Their daughter was still watching the fire, but standing up by herself. She takes a step forward and Erin sits up straight, "No Haven, come back here," she scolded, only for the little girl to continue to take the shakiest steps towards the fire, "Haven."

In seconds Erin stands and runs over, smiling at some of the parents and kids as she grabs her daughter's hand to walk her back. Jay is sitting up straight now, holding a mug that had just been handed to him by Adam.

"We brought you guys over a mug of hot, spiced cider."

Lindsay releases her daughter's hand to grab her cup, "Is it good? I'm a bit cautious when it comes to other people's cider."

"It's delicious," Jay offered; he holds the mug in one hand and reaches for his daughter with the other. He grabs onto her wrist, tugging her over gently, "I'm going to let her try it when it cools off. It was just made and it's really hot." He blew some of the steam off the top.

Occasionally people would stop, smile and compliment Haven on just how cute of a Dorothy she is, even going so far as to praise the stuffed dog in her basket. Haven bounced on her calves as the adults chatted around her, discussing work. It seemed that most conversation always found its way back to their jobs, discussing opened and closed cases, the gossip floating through the station and the new lady in Atwater's life. The cider eventually chilled and Jay gave the baby a sip, but by the look on her face, she didn't enjoy it all. She was uninterested in their conversation and no longer whined for the cider in his hands; her attention averted towards the geese walking around the land, their property, peering at the people like the intruders that they are. Haven was drawn to them just as she was with the ducks, only this time they're closer, boldly walking through the crowd.

"Do you like the geese?" Erin stoops down low beside her, her hand coming to rest upon the small of the baby's back, "Look," she pointed out, "One is looking at you."

Mother and daughter watch the geese, chasing after a few of the kids who bothered them as they minded their business. Eventually, they're joined by Jay; he stoops down low on the opposite side of the baby, hand wrapping around her waist as all three of them peer at the family of geese. Ruzek and Burgess are now seated in their lawn chair, cuddled up, sipping their cider and watching the fire. Haven chuckled, watching the geese go after the children and excitedly wanting to join in, but the grip Jay has on the fabric of her Dorothy dress keeps her in place.

"You're just seeing all types of animals today, huh?"

Haven says nothing in response. She continues to stare at the geese, mouth agape as the animals move away from the children; they're obviously tired of chasing them. By the end of the year, she'll have an endless supply of stuffed animals ranging from the more common ones, such as lions and tigers to the more random ones, such as her donkey and what they'll eventually get her, a duck and a goose. Haven is distracted by the animals, waddling over to the water as a little boy approaches. It seems this is a popular event for kids of all ages. The little boy looks to be dressed as a prince, holding a plucked flower in his hand and extending it towards Haven.

"Isn't that sweet?" Erin watches the little guy set it into her daughter's basket.

"He had been handing them out to all the babies all day," the boy's father informed proudly.

Erin stands, "How old is he?"

"He'll be two next month."

Jay stands up straight next, peering down at the little boy petting the top of her stuffed dog's head, babbling to her as if they're speaking another language. The little boy is so animated, babbling with his hands flying in all directions, occasionally taking a hold of Haven's hand and pulling her into hug her. The quick movement of the little boy pulling their little girl into a hug does send her tumbling to the ground, but Jay simply stands her right back up. She's still a newbie at all of this. With a small chuckle, the father turned his attention to Erin and gave her a slight nod of the head in a gentlemanly way before casting his eyes down towards Haven.

"Your little Dorothy is too cute," he praised, grinning as Haven is lifted into her father's arms; her basket remains on the ground, "and the Toto to match is adorable. How old is she?"

Haven reached towards the man and grabbed for one of the buttons on his shirt before Jay gently retracted her hand, "Ten months; she'll be one in December," he answered. Haven pouted and yawned, turning back into his embrace to rest her head against his shoulder.

Erin cast a look to her husband, "I think it's time we start heading back. She's getting tired."

"And if there's anything I know about tired toddlers, it's that they get cranky," the man responded, sweeping his own son up into his arms.

Burgess and Ruzek decide to stay a little longer to enjoy each other's company while the Halsteads decide to walk back to the house. In one arm Jay held his little girl and in the other, he held the hand of the most amazing woman, the one who had granted him such a gift. And as Haven dozes off in his arms, he enjoys the solitude and the only sound that could be heard is the candy within Haven's swinging basket shifting around.

"Are you tired too?" His voice was a whisper; he doesn't want to startle the baby awake.

"Nope," she responds, "What did you have in mind?"

His runs his thumb across the soft skin of her hand, "Maybe watch a movie, eat some of her candy and heat up some leftovers. I'm hungry."

"Sounds like a plan."

He tugs her in closer, arm wrapping around her shoulders, "Sounds like a date."