Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but you know life happens. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and you'll let me know what you think! Happy reading!

Jay POV

I wake up to the faint sound of Emma crying in the next room over. The confusion hits me first, then I roll over and see Erin lying asleep next to me and the events of last night come rushing back to me. She's sound asleep and I know that she's exhausted, emotionally and physically, so I make the call to get up before Emma wakes her up. She really needs the sleep. I move quickly, making my way into her bedroom and she's screaming bloody murder, her sweet face scrunched up and red as tears stream down her face, her blonde curls swirling around her face.

"Shh, shh, shh," I say as I try to comfort her, swooping her into my arms and leaning back into the glider that Erin put in a few weeks ago.

"Mama!" She cries out.

"It's okay Emmy, I'm here. Mama's sleeping," I tell her as I hold her against my chest, trying my best to rock her back to sleep to no avail. I take a deep breath and start singing the only thing even close to a lullaby that I can remember.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me

When I awake my poor heart pains.

So when you come back and make me happy

I'll forgive you dear, I'll take all the blame.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

She slowly begins to fall back asleep in my arms as finish out the last part of the chorus, her breathing slowing and the redness retreating from her face as she falls back into her slumber. I know that she's asleep and I should put her back into her crib, but I don't want to. It's comforting for some reason, just having her so close to me.

In this moment, she's safe. Kelly can't take her away from Erin. She's in my arms and she's safe. I don't want to let go of that.

Erin POV

As I wake up and remember the events of last night, I reach over to the other side of the bed and I'm met with cold sheets. That's weird. But it's fine, he probably had to run out early this morning. I try to shove down the disappointment. He didn't have to be here last night, that was a favor and he doesn't owe me anything. But I'm still disappointed that he's not here.

Deflated, I roll out of bed and pull a sweatshirt on over my pajamas, making my way over to Emma's room to check on her. As I round the corner into her room, I realize that he's still here.

He's here, asleep in a chair with my daughter in his arms still in his white dress shirt from last night, the top two buttons undone. I think my heart just about melts. She must have gotten up or something in the middle of the night and he was there. He's always here.

Why have I distanced myself from him? He's the perfect guy and he's been sitting in front of me this whole time. What's been stopping me? Voight's rule? I've never really been one for rules, I don't know why I started all of the sudden. But I do know that I can't get this man out of my head. But I can't drag him into my mess. He doesn't deserve that.

"Mama," Emma says as she looks up at me, her cheeks still flushed pink with sleep. So I guess she's awake. I'd been standing there for maybe a couple minutes, just looking at them, watching them coexist together before I even realized.

"Hi baby girl," I say with a slight wave from the doorway. Jay begins to stir at our words, his arms still wrapped loosely around her as she plays with the buttons on his shirt.

"Good morning," I tell him with a smile as he glances over at me. "How'd you sleep,"

"Pretty well considering I've had a toddler on my chest for the last five hours," He says with a grin before flipping her around as she babbles happily in his lap, her hands waving around rapidly.

"You know I would have gotten her, you should have just woken me up," I tell his, crossing over to the glider in the corner of the room and taking her out of his arms, resting her on my hip as she plays with my hair.

"I know," He says, standing up, "but you needed the sleep, we both know that." He's not wrong. I'm a single mom with a nineteen month old who isn't a great sleeper, I was barely sleeping as it is. But especially last night, I did fall asleep pretty quickly, but we didn't get to bed until at least one in the morning.

"And who says that you didn't? I ask.

"I just said that you needed the sleep," He comments back. "I'd better get going," I feel another pang of disappointment in my chest, but I know that it doesn't make sense for him to stay. He's still in clothes from the gala last night, he needs to go home.

"Okay," I say, my hand lingering on his shoulder. "Or you could stay," I say, going against all my better judgement. "I was going to take her to a park and then uh hire a lawyer, I could use some help."

"You're going to hire a lawyer already? What if he's bluffing? Besides, it's Saturday,"

"He's not. I know that and I want to get ahead of this instead of trying to catch him. This is the only way that I know how to do that. As for it being Saturday, I'm Hank Voight's daughter, if I want to get a hold of someone, it's not that hard," He looks at me for a minute, his tongue flicked up on his upper lip as he thinks. "If you need to go home, I totally get that."

"No, I'll stay. I keep a change of clothes in my car, Voight tends to call us in at all times of the day and night, so I'm prepared. Give me a minute to run down to my car,"

"I'm going to jump in the shower, you know try to wash some of last night off," I say, "I'll put Emma in her crib for a couple minutes,"

"No, I'll take her," He offers.

"You sure?" I ask, Emma still fingering through my curls.

"Yeah I'm just running down my car, it'll be a fun little adventure for her right?" He tells me as he pulls Emma from my arms.

"Alright," I concede. "I'll be quick and you can grab a shower when I'm done okay?"

"Sounds good Er,"

Jay POV

"So who's Voight calling?" I ask as the two of us sit on a park bench, watching Emma run through the tunnels and down slides, Erin sitting on my right and Emma's currently empty stroller resting on my left.

"Spencer Eastham, she's good, really damn good," She tells me, brushing a soft curl out of her face. "Voight gave her a call this morning, she's meeting me at the district Monday morning at 9 AM."

"You know there's still a chance that he won't do it," I tell her, subtly placing a hand on her knee.

"Jay," She says, flinching slightly at my touch.

"No I'm serious, you gotta stay positive Er," I assure her.

"Jay I can't. I can't just hope for the best case scenario anymore. I know what's going to happen, I have zero doubts in my mind about that. So I'm preparing for battle, gathering my armor you know?" She explains to me.

"Alright," I concede. "Just let me help you okay? Don't shut me out,"

"I'll try," She promises with a weak smile.

"Hey," I say after a long and slightly awkward silence.

"What?" She says, showing me that smile that I love so much.

"Go out with me," I say, taking the leap that Kara convinced me to take. The leap that I wanted to take last night that was interrupted by Kelly. That leap.

"Jay…" She says as she glances around, searching for an answer. I know she's going to tell me no, it's her instinct. But I have to at least try.

"No I'm serious, we don't know where things are going and we don't what's going to happen, so let's live in the now. Go out with me,"

"Jay I can't, not right now. It's not you, I know that everyone says that and it's so damn cliche but it's not you. I'm a mess right now and I need to clean up my mess before I can bring anyone else into my life," She tells me, longing in her eyes.

"I can deal with all of it," I assure her.

"I know you could and that's one of the reasons that you are so, so great. I won't push you away and I care about you, so I'm asking you to stay. I'm saying no, just wait for me. Someday," She asks, taking my hand in hers.

"Someday," I whisper, repeating her words, holding her hand solemnly in mine.

"C'mon, let's go play with my girl. We will have plenty of time to talk,"

"Okay," I respond releasing her hand before we get up to find Emma on the playground. Someday. I just have to hold onto someday.

Erin POV

I look up from my paperwork when I hear heels clicking along the linoleum floors of the bullpen. There's a woman here, clad in a navy blue pantsuit with her blonde hair falling loose past her shoulders, a briefcase held at her side. That has to be my lawyer.

"Spencer Eastham?" I ask, getting up to meet her. I can feel the entire unit's eyes tracing me, especially Jay's. He's the only one that knows whats happening, but it's unusual for one of us to be meeting with a lawyer at the district, especially because were not working a case right now.

"That would be me, are you Erin Lindsay?"

"Yes," I say, reaching down to my bag to grab the envelope that Kelly's guy gave me.

"Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"My office," Hank interrupts. "Let's go," I nod, leading Spencer back to his office.

"Do you wan-" Jay starts as I pass by his desk.

"No, I got this. I'll catch you up later okay?" I promise him. I don't know where we stand right now, but I can't worry about that right now.

"Okay," He says, giving me one last glance before letting me go. The three of us settle fairly quickly in his office, Spencer and I sitting in the two chairs across from him, the same firm look as always painted on Hank's face.

"Alright," She says, pulling a file folder out of her briefcase, "let's get started, have you been contacted by her father since Hank called me on Saturday?"

"Not him directly, but I did get served by his lawyers," I admit, biting my lip slightly. He did it early this morning. I was running late trying to get myself together, my makeup was half done and my hair was still in a bun on top of my head with Emma screaming in the background as I was served by a man in a very loud plaid shirt.

I was able to hold myself together in front of Emma, she's not even two yet but she can always pick up on when I'm upset. Always.

But after I dropped her off at daycare, I did sit in the parking lot and cry for a solid fifteen minutes. Not that I'd ever admit that to anyone. I was almost positive that he was going to do it, but there was that little sliver of hope, placed there by Jay that maybe, it wouldn't happen. Getting those papers made it real.

But I was right, he wasn't bluffing.

"When?" Hank demands. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It just happened this morning, I was going to tell you but I figured we could just go over it now," I tell him honestly, "I haven't even had the chance to really look at them,"

"Let me see them," Spencer asks. I hand over the papers and she scans through them like a machine, her eyes taking in every word as she processes them even faster.

"What does he want exactly?" I ask, my heart racing in my chest.

"Kelly Benjamin Severide is suing for you temporary sole physical custody of your daughter Emma Shay Severide." She explains.

"Wait temporary what does that mean?" I ask her.

"Technically, any choice made court is only valid until you are legally divorced," She tells me.

"So, no matter what happens, it can all change in a year?" Hank asks in an attempt to clarify and confirm.

"That would be correct yes," She says, "But if you want to keep your daughter for the next year, you need to tell me anything and everything that King could dig up," She tells me.

"King?" Hank asks.

"The lawyer that your ex husband hired, his name is Connor King, he's good and he plays dirty, so I need you to be completely honest with me. I don't care what you have done I just need to know about it so I can spin that makes you look better to the judge. I don't lose and I really don't plan on starting now. I need the story of your life, the good, the bad, the ugly. I need everything," She tells me, the kindness in her eyes gone as she launches straight into another realm.

"Okay, let's begin." I say, taking a deep breath as I look to Hank for approval. He gives me a slow nod, "So my mom was a junkie and as a teenager I was into everything you could be into,"

"Be specific," She says, pulling out a legal pad and clicking a pen open.

"I was picked up a lot, dealing and possession, once for solicitation when I fifteen," I admit, twisting my fingers around each other.

"Were you convicted on any of these charges?" She asks, not looking up from the pad of yellow paper.

"One of them, a misdemeanor and I served community service, but they were all expunged from my record when I became a confidential informant for the Chicago Police Department," I tell her.

"But you're clean now?" She asks.

"I have not touched drugs since I was seventeen years old," I respond, my hands starting to shake slightly.

"That I can spin, you were brought up in a rough environment and you got down pretty but you came back, that makes you strong, that makes a better mom to Emma," She explains to me, her legs crossed over one another, the points on the toes of her red pumps sharp.

"You think that will work?" I ask.

"I know it will," She confirms, "But that's not our biggest issue,"

"What is?" I ask, confused again as my heart rate spikes.

"Kelly is accusing you of parental kidnapping," She says calmly.

"What?" Hank and I both exclaim at the same time.

"He's saying that you took Emma from him," She explains, her facial expression not changing.

"He knew where I was, I told him exactly where I was going. He didn't try to stop me," I tell her, trying to defend myself.

"Okay did you tell him exactly where you were going?" She asks.

"I told him I was going to Chicago, I didn't tell him where I was staying but he figured that out pretty quickly, he hired a PI to follow me," I say with an exasperated sigh.

"Don't worry about it, I'll explain everything later," I say to Hank, trying to rid the look of rage upon his face.

"But you didn't tell him where you were staying, correct?" She asks again.

"No I did not," I admit.

"See that's where we have a problem," She says with a sigh, "It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, all a judge is going to see is that you disappeared with his daughter."

"And what does that mean?" I ask, trying to remain calm though knowing exactly what she's about to tell me.

"Do you want me to be honest with you?" She asks, folding her pad of paper back over and leaning forward, balancing her elbow on her knee.

"Yes," I say with a nod.

"It means your chances of winning this case, well they're pretty damn low,"

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Please review!

-Addie