One Year

by Sincerely Tiffany

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

11. Eleven Months

It's Thanksgiving Day. It's the Halsteads' favorite time of the year. It's the day of the three F's: food, family and football. The Halsteads plan to be decked out in jeans and matching Chicago Bears jerseys with the number and last name of Jay's favorite player but as of right now they're in sweats and t-shirts. Every year dinner is at Voight's house and this year is no different, the only change is the addition of little Haven. It's her first Thanksgiving and if she's anything like her parents, she'll grow to enjoy it like them.

There's so much to do in what feels like such little time. Most of it had been done the second Erin woke up, but she still had to get her and the baby ready. Jay was most likely going to need a shower as well since he's been outside for the past hour raking up leaves. Autumn just so happens to be one of her favorite seasons and it's bittersweet that in a few weeks this season will drift away and winter will come. Along with winter, comes Haven's first birthday. In less than a month, in nine days to be more specific, her baby will be a year old. Erin doesn't want to think about it which is hard since she'll have to start planning for a party soon.

She glances down at the eleven month old currently standing on her bare feet with her arms wrapped around Erin's leg. Her face is buried into the fabric of her sweatpants as she attempts to obscure her vision of Bunny. Erin understands. She truly does. She's tried countless times to close her eyes and hide her face in hopes of Bunny disappearing. Lindsay reaches down and rubs her hand soothingly across the top of her daughter's hair, moving her dirty blonde hair in all sorts of directions before she realizes that her mother had been speaking to her this entire time.

"I'm sorry, I zoned out for a second," Erin admits, unashamedly, "what were you saying?"

Bunny's annoyed; her arms are crossed over her chest and she sighs exasperatedly, "I don't understand, Erin, I don't get it," she leans forward to rest her crossed arms against the countertop, "I came over here to celebrate the holiday with you and my grandbaby and you're telling me that I can't. Can you at least tell me why?"

"We're going over to Voight's for dinner."

"Since when did you start doing that?" Bunny stood up straight looking highly offended.

"…since forever."

"And how come I didn't get invited? I am your mother," Bunny snapped, peering over the countertop to see Haven standing on her bare feet, holding onto Erin's pants leg, "Or has he forgotten? This is a holiday for family to come together and be thankful."

"When did you start getting into the holiday spirit?"

Bunny shrugs, walking around the counter to approach her daughter, "I don't know but I am a little hurt that I wasn't invited. What am I supposed to do now?" She opens her arms and extends them towards her granddaughter; Haven pays her no mind.

Erin feels Haven's hold on her pants leg tighten as she attempts to walk towards the refrigerator. The eleven month old has no desire of letting go, especially with Bunny –a semi stranger- in the room, attempting to coax her out of her mother's orbit and into hers. Erin glances down to see Haven wrap both of her small arounds around Erin's entire leg, "How about you do what you do every year? What's the sudden interest in the holiday now?"

"…my granddaughter."

Haven's face nestles itself into the gray fabric of her mother's sweatpants. She whines. She coos. She makes some sort of noise that's a combination between the two. Erin takes another step forward and her daughter moves with her, "Look mom, I'm a little busy. I don't have time for this. Voight is having dinner at his house. If you have a problem with that, take it up with him."

Bunny doesn't argue or even attempt to rebut her daughter's last comment. Instead, she walks out of the room and grabs one of the toys scattered around the living room. With a baby that's a very avid walker and a full time job, cleaning around the house had taken a backseat to being a necessity in the Halsteads' household –at least when it came to the living room. It doubled as a living room and apparently a playroom for the baby. Bunny comes back, holding some sort of toy that plays too much noise; it's Erin and Jay's least favorite toy of Haven's given to her by Burgess. The couple swore that if Burgess and Ruzek ever had a kid, they would get them back. It was a vow, a promise, a pledge to extract the same frustration and annoyance that toy brought upon them onto Kim and Adam. That toy in Bunny's hands was extended towards the baby and instead of convincing her to let go of her mother's leg and walk over, she turned away, burying her face and practically hiding behind Erin's leg.

"It's not that important," Bunny remarked, pressing a button on the toy and smiling when it lit up to start singing a tune, "I'll just go see what Teddy is up to today."

"That sounds like a good idea," Erin whispered, lowering her hand to rest upon the top of her daughter's head. Haven cooed, burying her face further into her mother's leg. She had just woken up from a nap a few minutes before Bunny arrived. She was in the living room, sleeping on the couch and had scampered on into the kitchen the second she was well rested.

Haven whines, looking up at her mother and resting her chin upon Erin's leg. She was being clingy today which was normal, especially when she was uncomfortable. She knew Bunny, but she didn't know her enough to be comfortable around her. And since Jay was outside raking leaves, she had no choice but to cling to her mother. When it came to her need for food, comfort and sleep, she turned to Erin. When it came to her need to play or to feel protected, she turned to Jay, but unfortunately she wasn't able to locate her dad so she sought that protection from her mother. Erin smiled down at her daughter, running her thumb over the small scratch on Haven's cheek she had received from attempting to run down the sidewalk a few days ago, "Sometimes I wish you could speak in full sentences so I know what you're thinking."

"Mama," Haven coos, burying her face back into her mother's pants leg; Erin smiles.

Bunny disappears again and when she returns, she's holding Haven's favorite stuffed donkey and extending it towards her, "Here you go sweetheart," she's bribing her to come over and the eleven month old falls for it this time. Haven stood no chance when offered her stuffed donkey, especially since it was in the hands of someone she barely recognized. She wanted it back. She wanted it protected and in her own hold, "Wise choice you made there, she will never be able to refuse it…at least she won't any time soon."

Haven holds out her arms, trying to take the donkey from her grandmother but it remains out of her reach. She whines; it's borderline a cry and her short legs bounce her body up and down. It was close but not close enough and when the tears started to fall out of her eyes, Erin stood up straighter and crossed her arms, "Mom, give her the damn toy."

"Do you swear in front of your kid?" Bunny hands the baby her donkey. The whining stops.

"Oh please," Erin takes a seat on the floor, back leaning against the cabinets as Haven walks back over, dragging the stuffed animal behind her, "I've heard worse when I was a kid and I turned out pretty great. She'll be fine." She opens her arms and waves for her daughter to walk over; she obliges, grinning as she walks into her mother's hold.

Erin circles her arms around her. The donkey forgotten and released by Haven as Erin draws her daughter in, smearing kisses all over her face and smiling immensely as that innocent, heartfelt and hearty chuckle bubbled from the bottom of her daughter's tummy and out of her mouth. Her little teeth are visible as she throws her head back; Erin blows bubbles into the crook of her daughter's neck, tickling her as the laughter grows louder. Erin herself even finds herself joining in when her daughter's body twists and squirms in an effort to get away; she refuses to let her go, choosing to keep her heart in human form wrapped up in her arms. Erin blows raspberries into her stomach earning wails of bubbling laughter. She continues to squirm, tears coming to her eyes at the sensation of being tickled. That hearty baby chuckle does wonders to Erin's heart and mind and she doesn't want it to stop so she continues, "Erin."

"Mom, I'm a little busy," Erin briefly stops to give her baby a chance to gather her breath.

"You told me to remind you of the time."

Lindsay knew it was drawing closer to the time for them to leave and she still needed to get showered and dressed. She wanted to get a head start, especially knowing that the baby will need a bath and Jay will have to shower too once he comes in from outdoors. Erin sighs dramatically, releasing her daughter out of her arms and watching her as she walks, stumbles a little, to her donkey. Erin hops to her feet and brushes any traces of dirt off her behind, "I'll be right back. Can you watch her while I attempt to make the living room look a little decent?"

Bunny smiled, "Of course."

As Erin disappears to go straighten up the living room, Haven stumbles a little more and falls onto her behind. She doesn't cry. She's too wrapped up in gnawing on the ear of her stuffed donkey. Haven sits on her behind and Bunny watches as her stuffed donkey is dropped from her hands the second her eyes zero in on a penny. The bronze object sparkles under the fluorescent kitchen light catching the short attention span of the eleven month old. She grins, mouth almost completely full of teeth, before rolling over into a crawling position. She bunches her knees up under her chest and pushes down on her chubby hands to rise to her feet, "Mama," she calls out even though her mother was in a different room.

Haven takes the few steps it takes towards the penny before leaning over to pick it up in a two-finger pinch. While normally she would bring it to her mouth to curiously taste it, this time she holds it up in the direction of her grandmother, "No," she coos, earning a chuckle from Erin in the living room, "I don't think she even knows what that means."

Bunny laughs as well as she extends her opened palm towards the baby, "Thank you."

A vacuum cleaner is cut on and the loud noise startles her, sending the baby tumbling to her behind. She's used to falling now. The quick tumble does nothing to scare her and she simply rolls onto her hands and knees and starts crawling in the direction of the door as far away from the living room and the sound of the vacuum suctioning up the mess on the carpeted floor. Haven is crawling at lightning speed; she's practically a professional now when it comes to crawling and Bunny has to move fast just to keep up.

Haven reaches the closed door and pushes herself back up to her feet. She wobbles for a few seconds before glancing at the knob. It's too high for her to reach and she doesn't even attempt it. Smart girl, Bunny silently compliments. She hears something get caught in the vacuum cleaner and the sound startles the kid once again, sending her shoulders up and her lip quivering at the foreign and unknown noise. Bunny kind of feels bad for her…kind of.

"Your dad is outside," Bunny talks to the kid as if she completely understands, "Do you want to go out and join him? That way grandma doesn't have to watch you."

As expected, Haven doesn't answer. She just looks up to meet Bunny's eyes and the expression on her face reminds Bunny of her own daughter. It makes her chuckle. She'll be just like Erin and if that's the case then she definitely has her work cut out for her. Bunny scoops the little girl up into her arms, "Come on then." And almost immediately, Haven starts to cry.

Bunny holds the kid in one arm and grabs her shoes near the door with the other. The vacuum cleaner masks the sound of her wails. She didn't want to be held by her. She hardly knew her. It was one thing for Haven to be in her presence, to hand her something or to be held by her when in the presence of her parents, but it was an entirely different thing when she's holding her now. Her face turns red with each tear lost. Her bottom lip trembles with every cry she lets out. She's looking around, looking for protection, but when nothing comes, she only cries harder. That is, until Bunny sits her down on the dining room table, "Wow kid, really?"

She rolls her eyes at the sound of her granddaughter sniffling. She sighs out of frustration at the sight of Haven continuously looking around as if one of her parents will appear. Erin has never let her watch Haven and she always rejects her when she offers to do so, and at this rate, it looks as if Erin never will. Bunny pats atop the kid's head, "Everything is fine."

Bunny cannot remember the last time she put shoes onto the feet of a baby. It had to be with Teddy over twenty years ago. She slid one boot onto Haven's foot before sliding on the other, shrugging her shoulders as she ignored the idea of putting socks on her first. Bunny lifts her off the table to set her back down onto her feet, holding her hand next and then taking the smallest steps to walk alongside her towards the front door. She felt like a grandmother, a true grandmother, even as she grabbed the baby's jacket off the coatrack and draped it over the little girl's shoulders before struggling to pull her arms through. It seems she wanted to make things a bit difficult, just like her mother. Bunny smiled.

"Alright Haven," Bunny grinned and leaned forward to press a kiss against her forehead, "are you ready to go outside?" She doesn't wait or expect a reply; she just opens the front door and carefully helps the baby step down the porch stairs.

It was chilly. It was only going to grow colder in the oncoming days. Bunny saw the back of Jay's head as he raked leaves into a pile and she knew that Haven was in the best hands. She needed to go back inside. She needed warmth. She walked back to the front door, leaving Haven on the sidewalk; legs spread open and bent as she tried to maintain her balance. She hadn't been walking long, sometimes she needed time and support. Haven watched Bunny walk away and when the older woman waved, Haven looked away, glancing over at the pretty flowers that would start to die soon. Bunny returns to the house, closing the door behind her to ensure that none of the heat from inside was let out.

"I straightened up the living room as best as I could," Erin informed, grabbing a bottle of water and unscrewing the cap, "It'll only get messy again."

"Yeah, it's definitely hard to maintain a clean house with little kids roaming around."

"Speaking of little kids," Erin peered over the center island in search of her own, "where's mine?" She walks around the counter in search of Haven but when Bunny points towards the front door, she gets her answer, "She's outside?"

"Yeah," Bunny nods.

Erin grows wary; it's obvious she doesn't trust her mother, "Did you put her coat on?"

"I did."

"What about her boots?"

"I did."

"Does Jay know she's out there?"

Bunny nods, "Well, I assume so…"

That translates to no.

Erin leaves her water bottle on the counter with the cap resting beside it as she does a light jog towards the front door. She throws it open and leans against the screen, "Jay!"

Her husband jumps, obviously taken by surprise, "Yeah?"

Lindsay's answer is a silent point of the finger, nodding towards the baby standing in the middle of the grass. His brows furrow and it's safe to say that he didn't know she was out there. When is her mother going to learn? When will common sense set in? It doesn't matter if Jay's outside with Haven if he had no idea she was joining him. He didn't know to look after her. He assumed she was still in the house. But, today was a good day. There was no harm done and in an hour or two, Erin will be over Voight's house stuffing her face with all the fixings of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Erin shuts the door just as she hears her husband call out for their daughter, "I'm about to take my shower," Lindsay informs her mother, "next time either ask me or Jay can she go outside or let him know that she's joining him. Don't make assumptions."

"I…I uh," Bunny stumbles over her words as her daughter disappears upstairs. She's left alone in the kitchen while Erin showers upstairs and Haven bonds with her father.

To distract herself, she ventures over to the bay window at the front of the house, drawing the curtains open to look outside. The trees are bare, having lost all of their colorful leaves the second fall set in and now that the season is coming to a close, it left behind naked branches. Bunny cracks open the window to listen to the dialogue of father and daughter as she watches in envy, wishing if only she could reverse time or change her current habits to be better. But, she wasn't so lucky and strong. Change wouldn't come so easily and she honestly didn't think she wanted to put up the effort. She's spent decades like this, why change now? It's no point. Her deeds have already been done. And people don't forgive so easily.

Since Erin had alerted Jay of Haven's presence, he had spent the time calling for her to come over instead of focusing on the last pile of leaves he needed to bag up. He had called her for the fourth time, "Haven," he's holding up the rake and he waves for her to walk over the second she looks over her shoulder and takes him in, "Come here."

Once again, she doesn't come.

He releases the rake and takes advantage of her eyes watching it drop, using her distraction to approach. Knowing her, she'll think this is a game and start trying to run, or in her case, waddle and stumble away. Once the rake lands, her eyes avert over to her dad and she grins as she watches him come, "Haven no," there's sternness in his voice; one she is unfamiliar with and doesn't understand.

The little girl turns on her heels and starts to stumble away at a fast pace for someone of her age and her size. With the mailbox as her destination, she holds out her short, chubby arms and starts stumbling towards it at a speed that will ensure an inevitable fall the second she comes to a stop. She's on the grass so her falling over isn't his first concern. The street that connects to the mailbox definitely is. She's giggling as she continues to stumble, her feet turning inwards as she closes in on her destination, and just as she's about to reach the mailbox, he clamps his hand around her arm and snatches her back a little rougher than he intended, "No Haven!"

Honestly, he didn't expect a giggle, especially when she fell backwards, but he surely did not complain when he got one. The same hand that grabbed her arm wrapped itself around her stomach as he used his strength to lift her up. He flushed her back against his chest and smeared a kiss to the side of her head as he carried her over to the pile of raked leaves. He sets her back down on her feet and motions for her to stay put. He keeps an eye on her as he reaches for the rake, "Why did your mother let you outside?"

Haven stood, bundled up, watching as her father continued to rake leaves. Her little hands were in her pockets and she just appeared as a little adult with a pensive look on her face. Her lips were twisted, her head was tilted and her brows furrowed as she observed him raking the last few leaves into a pile. He takes in her little face, smirking at her expression, "Alright Havie," he tosses the rake over to the side, "grab some up."

She tilts her head in the opposite direction.

Jay smiles even harder, stooping down and scooping as many leaves in his hands as possible. He raises them above her head and releases them, laughing just as she starts to giggle. She steps forward ungracefully and leans over to collect as many as she can hold –a much smaller amount than he had. She doesn't stand back up and Jay chalks that up to her knowing her limits, her believing or actually knowing that if she stood up with her arms full of leaves, she'll fall over.

"Now let them go…" Haven drops them and immediately starts to clap her hands, "Go Havie," she stands back up, "Now watch this."

He lifts her up and sets her back down onto her feet a few feet away from the pile. She remains in the spot as he lifts the rake back up to rake the leaves back into a large pile, "Okay," he tosses the rake far away and turns his back to the leaves, "Look," he opens his arms and falls back, landing in the leaves and looking up just as they fly into the air and slowly drift their way back down. Jay sits up, face flushed red from the fall; his legs are spread and he raises his arms to gesture her over, "Come here," she doesn't move, "Come here Havie," she still doesn't move and he tries once again, "Come on, it's your turn."

Once she approaches he scoops her up, settling her against his hip as he uses his free hand to grab the rake, "Alright, this is the plan," he talks to her as if she completely understands, "we're going to gather the leaves back up and fall into them."

With one hand he carefully rakes the leaves into a nice sizeable pile to ensure that when she did fall back there would be enough leaves to cushion and secure her fall. Once he finishes, he tosses the rake off to the side, far away from her hands before setting her back down on the ground; he takes her hand, securing his large one around her smaller one, "Let's do this together," he guides her closer to the leaves, turning them around so they're facing the house instead of the pile, "on the count of three: one, two," and by three, he goes back first, gently pulling her along with him.

She might not have laughed when he did it by himself, but she definitely laughed this time. Her giggles are high-pitched; her legs are in the air, kicking wildly as her hands overlap above her tummy. Halstead lifts his head and rests his head upon his hand to peer down at her. Her laugh is infectious. It reminds him of the baby laughing videos online that shows young children laughing at some of the most insignificant things. It's joyous. Her cheeks are flushed either from the fall or the cold temperature outside. She's squirming and practically covered by the pile of leaves but she doesn't whine or whimper. His little girl, eleven months old, and growing at an exceeding rate that he's not okay with…she's coming into her own, developing a personality and moods that go beyond happy and sad. She's almost a toddler, a full year, a one year old and even though he has less than a month to be okay with it, he doesn't see himself coming to terms. He's not fine with it and he doesn't think he'll ever be okay.

Haven rolls over onto her belly, continuously laughing at the fall and lifting her head up to look at him. He wants her to slow down. She has no control over it, no one does, but he wants her to stop, to pause time and stay this size and age forever. He reaches out, running his hand over her head, down her back before resting it on her behind, feeling the fluffy diaper through the pants she's wearing, "Jay!"

Both he and Haven looked over towards the door, and if it was possible for his heart to grow bigger at the sight of his daughter smiling at her mother, his wife, the woman who gave him her then his heart would outgrow his body, "I just finished my shower! It's time to come on in."

"You might as well get used to this kid," he sat up and pulled the baby into his arms, "this won't be the first time your mom ruins our fun earlier than we expected."

"Funny," she sarcastically replies, "now come on, you need to bathe and she definitely needs a bath. Were you guys jumping around in the leaves?"

"Yes and we don't regret it one bit," he rises to his feet and scoops her back up into his arms, "you can join us the next time we do this."

She averts her eyes from the leaves to her family, "I'll take your word on that."

Erin shuts the door after her husband and daughter enter back into the house, "There's three bags of leaves ready to be picked up tomorrow, what about the last pile? The one you and the little one had fun messing around in?"

"Take her," he sighs, remembering the last of his duty, "It shouldn't take me long. I'll just rake them back up, toss them into the bag, tie it up and put all the bags on the curb."

Haven leans towards her mother when she opens up her arms, "Thank you," Erin leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, "I'll take this one upstairs to get clean."

Just as his wife starts to pull off their daughter's shoes and take off her coat, he departs from their house to do his task for the evening. It doesn't take him that long. By the time he finishes, Erin threw a large shirt on over her jersey to ensure her clothes didn't get wet and Haven was already in the tub. When he ventures upstairs to take his own shower, he pops his head into the hallway bathroom, watching Haven splash the water around, Erin rinse the soap off her body and Bunny leaning against the bathroom sink, silently watching mother and daughter interact. Haven notices him first, providing him with a cheeky grin as she continues to splash the water, "Dada!"

"That never gets old," he whispers, waving at her before continuing down the hall to the master bedroom.

Haven's giggles echo down the hallway. They're loud enough for him to even hear as he showers in the master bathroom. Erin laughs along with her while washing out the last of the baby shampoo scrubbed into her hair, "Does that tickle?"

Once the few inches of water start to turn cool and a little dirty from the outside play Haven participated in earlier, Erin figured bath time was over. She pulled the stopper out of the drain and watched as Haven's wide eyes witnessed the water disappearing.

"Mom," Bunny snaps out whatever fantasy she was just in to look over at her daughter, "can you open up her towel and hand it to me?"

It's the least Bunny could do. It's not difficult. It's finally something –no matter how small- she was able to get right. Erin gives her a small smile and uses the towel to lift her daughter out of the tub, wrapping the cloth securely around her to keep her body temperature up. She used the hood of the towel to cover her head, drying off her soft curls and earning another laugh from the baby since the towel partially covered her face. Erin lifted it up to look into her eyes better, "Hey! There you go," she drops it again and it covers the baby's eyes once more, "Havie, you disappeared. Where'd you go?" She lifts it once more as she carried her out of the bathroom, "I found you! There you go!"

Bathing was the hardest part. Getting her dressed was easy in comparison to washing her. Haven enjoyed lying on her back, looking up into the eyes of whoever was the lucky person to hover above her. She really enjoyed being naked but the slight chill in the air caused for her to put up no fight as her mother rubbed lotion into her soft skin, strapped a clean diaper on and slid a pair of leggings onto her chubby legs. Haven kicked her feet, "Hey!" She missed her mother's face by an inch, "Don't make me have to hold your legs down you little monster." Haven giggled, kicking her legs again, basically calling her mother's bluff.

By the time Jay reentered the room, dressed in a jersey, jeans and some comfortable sneakers, Haven was all set and ready to go. After the jersey was pulled over her head and her arms were guided through the sleeves, Erin had lifted her from the changing table over to the rocking chair. She sat the baby between her legs, parted her short hair and threw what she could into two adorable little pigtails. It framed her adorable face. And Bunny kept her entertained through the whole, boring process of getting your hair done.

"Aren't you just the cutest, pig-tailed, almost one-year old I know?" Jay crouched down in front of her before pressing his lips against the dimple in her cheek.

"Babe, can you put her socks and shoes on?"

He was forced to tear his lips and eyes away from his daughter to briefly venture over to her dresser, grab a pair of socks before going to her closet to grab a pair of shoes, "Any particular kind of shoes you want her to wear?"

"…um," Erin taps her chin as she gently rocks her and the baby in the chair, "the boots."

Jay silently grabbed the first pair of boots he saw and when his wife didn't argue the color, he called that a victory, silently patting himself on the back before sliding the socks and shoes onto the baby's feet. Her little toes wiggling and not trying to be good sports as he struggled earnestly to put them on, "Kid…" he sighed, looking up to meet her bright, hazel eyes. It distracted her long enough for him to slide both shoes on her feet.

"She hates shoes and socks, I wonder how long they'll stay on," Erin whispered, tightening her grip around her daughter as she pushed herself up onto her feet, "We should be getting ready to leave. I stocked up her diaper bag and put it by the door before I called you inside. I just need to grab the dessert out of the fridge, put my shoes and coat on, bundle her up and then we can actually leave. It sounds like a lot but it'll only take like five minutes."

"Let's knock that time in half," he responded, opening his arms up for his daughter.

She leaned towards his embrace, "Dada," and he smiled.

"I'll put her coat on," Jay said as he left the nursery.

Haven was rested on his chest and shoulder. His arm held and was draped against the baby's bottom while his opposite hand supported the back of her head and neck. Haven was perched over his shoulder, smiling and slowly testing out a wave to her mom as they left the room. Erin followed closely behind, waving back and keeping her eyes focused on them, her little family, her pride and joy and the man that made all of this possible. Erin also took advantage of the baby's eyes on her; she contorted her expression, changing her normal face into one of a silly expression and shape. She crossed her eyes at one point, she stuck out her tongue afterwards and by the third face change, consisting of her poking out her lips, the baby had cackled out a loud laugh, startling Jay and causing him to cover his ear, "Ouch!"

"Sorry," Erin apologized, dropping the funny face.

"That's alright, I just need a little heads up next time."

As Erin temporarily disappeared into the kitchen, he went over by the door, setting Haven down on her feet beside her diaper bag. Bunny had followed and her silent presence had almost made him forget she was even here. It seems she's learned the one way not to get on any of their nerves and that's to be quiet and to make it appear as if she's not present. It was a few years too late, but it's definitely better late than never. He watched her approach the baby as he searched through the many coats on the rack, trying to find her thicker coat since it's much later than it had been when she was outside earlier, "I figure it's time for me to go," his shoulders stiffen at her words. Erin may be trying to give her mother another chance that to him, she honestly doesn't deserve, but it doesn't mean he's going to allow it with his guard down. It's not just Erin now, it's Haven too and he had every right in the matter of her.

Bunny steps closer and he feels Haven grab onto his leg, either for support of balance, because she's acting shy or out of a need for protection from a woman she doesn't know that well. She buried her face into the fabric of his jeans and when he glanced down at her, he saw that she was looking up at him, pouting as if she's frustrated at him for not reading her mind. Bunny stepped even closer and carefully lowered herself onto her knees, "Hi Haven," she opened her arms up, "Can grandma get a hug goodbye?"

Haven doesn't move. Jay couldn't help himself but to be proud of that. Her hard grip on his jeans tightened until Bunny leaned forward and pressed a kiss against the side of her head, "She needs to see me more. That way she'll be able to get used to me."

He hoped not.

Jay finally found her coat and pulled it off the rack. He put his coat on first before turning to do the same to her. He pried her hand away from his jeans to guide her arms through the sleeves of the puffy coat. He stoops down, lowering himself to become somewhat eye leveled with his daughter as he struggles with the zipper. It had gotten caught in the fabric of her jersey. Meeting his daughter's eyes and smiling as he watched her own grin stretch across her face has his heart aflutter. That smile of hers does something to him. His love for her grows if that's even possible. His protectiveness for her expands. He wants to wrap her into his arms, make a deal with whatever force is out there to ensure she's this size for the rest of her life and safe from anyone who is stupid enough to pose her any harm. He's physically frozen, his hand gripping the zipper but no longer trying to detach the fabric from the zip.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

His wife's interruption breaks him from his thoughts. He blinks back into focus and manages to zip the coat up before swiftly lifting her up into his arms. Her neon green, fluffy, marshmallow type coat makes her hot and uncomfortable. She starts to fret. And she eventually starts to whine when her mother pulls a hat onto her head, wraps a scarf around her neck and slides gloves onto her hands. She's a tad bit over bundled up but the temperature is expected to drop at some point in the night and the last thing either of them wanted was a freezing baby who caught a cold.

"Mama," she whines, turning her head away from Erin to bury it into the crook of his neck.

He absolutely adored her when she did this. He felt like her hero, her protector, the one she turned to when she needed comforting. Normally it's Erin, but when Erin is the one causing her distress, it's him. And he has no complaints about it.

"What is mama doing?" Jay rubs his hand up and down the fluffy material of her coat.

Her vocabulary consists of a few select words. And none of those words could possibly answer his question. Haven just sniffled and pulled the hat off her head only for Erin to take it from her and slide it back on, "Come on, let's go before she takes it off again."

Jay watches as his wife puts on her coat, grabs the diaper bag and lifts up the –store bought- dessert his wife purchased for Thanksgiving dinner before leading them all out the door. Bunny is the last to follow, dragging her feet as if they'll change their mind and invite her to dinner. It doesn't work. It's unsuccessful. If anything, it reminds them about why they don't want her there in the first place. Erin has one kid, a baby who borderline is turning into a toddler; she doesn't need or desire to take care of an adult who acts like a kid. Bunny continues to drag her feet, following behind Jay and Haven as Erin stands at the door to lock both the bottom and top locks.

"Bye Haven," Bunny calls out and waves; she watches the little girl being carried protectively in her dad's arms. Her head rest against his shoulder, facing outward to glance at her surroundings. She only looks up when she hears her name called and even though her vocabulary isn't perfect and always clear, her gestures are. Haven quietly lifts her hand, folds in her fingers before opening them back up to mimic the act of waving goodbye.

"I'll talk to you later, Bunny," Erin waves nonchalantly towards her mother as they head in two different directions. It's just another reminder for both about how testy and unstable their relationship is. And it's also another reminder for Erin about the things she does not want for her daughter, about the relationship she wants to avoid having with her kid and the acts she could take in order to evade it.

Haven grew fussy on their short walk to the car. Being a baby, borderline turning into a toddler has her cranky a lot of the time. She squirms in her dad's embrace, trying everything in her small power to get out of his arms. He chuckles and presses a kiss against her dirty blonde hair, the same hair that Erin somehow managed to pull into two pigtails, "Alright Havie," he chuckles setting her down onto her wobbly feet, "you want to walk, walk."

The baby isn't that great at walking. She's still new to the whole experience and while she regularly falls, wobbles, bounces or tumbles over, she finds herself not giving up, wanting to push herself until she's perfected the walk. And since the house is babyproofed, her parents afford her the freedom to practice. Being outside though is a different story. Jay has her on her feet, but he's standing extremely close behind her, his knees practically brush up against her fluffy coat. Her little feet walk as he leads her from behind. He's holding both of her hands and carefully steering her in the direction of the car, taking the tiniest steps to ensure she didn't fall over, "Look at you go! That's my girl!"

"Just be careful," the worrier in Erin that came out the second her daughter was born made its appearance; she was practically on Jay's heel, scrunching her face up as he walked their daughter down the driveway. Her shoulders tensed every second Haven stumbled over her own two feet, only avoiding what would have been an inevitable fall because Jay is behind her, holding both of her hands in his.

Just as they reach the car, Jay scoops her up, lifting her high above his head and laughing as her high-pitched squeals filled the silent evening. Erin unlocked the door, opening one door for Jay before jogging over to the side and opening the other, "I'll drive there, you can drive back."

"It's a plan," he leaned in and set his daughter into her car seat, maneuvering the straps around until she's buckled in, "We're almost done," he feels his daughter's hands reach out and grab upon the stubble around his face, "Ouch," he leans his head as far away from her as possible as he tightens the harness of her car seat.

By the time he finishes, Erin is already in the driver's seat, buckled up and starting the car. He gives his daughter a farewell wave before shutting the door.

"Now that we have a chance to talk without worrying about the little nugget, we should discuss what we want to do for her first birthday," Erin says as Jay slides into the passenger seat.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we can do something small," she backs the car out of their driveway, "I mean…she's turning one. She won't remember this birthday, but I figured we could invite Voight, the team, your brother, Natalie, Annie and Travis, maybe Emily and her kids too and decorate the living room because it'll probably be freezing outside. Oh, and we have to get a cake, maybe two because I definitely want a cake for her to just go to town in, you know? Like throw her face and hands in and just have a really good time with that. But, I also want a cake to eat because I love dessert and you do too."

"I like that idea," Jay nods, leaning his head against the window, "We can probably throw in some activities that she enjoys to do, maybe some dancing, finger painting and stuff like that."

"Finger painting, you want a one year old to finger paint in our living room?"

Jay considers this, envisioning all of the ways it could go wrong, "Yeah, say no more, maybe when she gets older. I just know Emily mentions she just started finger painting with her."

"Yeah, well Emily has a playroom designed to get messy."

"Duly noted, we'll just let that be a daycare activity."

Thanksgiving Day traffic wasn't as bad as one would have assumed. Most people were already at their destination so the roads only held a few cars every other mile. By the time they reached Voight's house, practically no one was outside on the streets. Cars were parallel parked along his street and even though they made great time in reaching his home, it took even longer to find a parking spot. Erin ended up parking a few houses down from his.

"Alright partner," she turned the car off, "I get the baby."

"And I'll get everything else," he nodded affirmatively.

As done many times before in the last year, they divided their tasks and conquered. Erin unstrapped the baby from her car seat while Jay balanced the dessert in one hand while throwing the strap of the diaper bag over his shoulder. This was a routine for them. She normally drove to their location and he would drive them home. Sometimes she would carry the baby and sometimes he would; it all depended really on the mood. And apparently it's Haven's mood they're appeasing today since she doesn't seem to want to be picked up. She squirms and whines until Erin gives in and sets her down on her feet, "Fine, you want to walk? Walk."

Haven stands on the sidewalk, both of her parents behind her and patiently waiting for her to take a step. Since she started walking, it seems that has become her preferred method of transportation. Emily warned Erin that when Haven reaches toddler age, she'll start to want to take charge and explore the world and her surroundings. It seems toddlerhood came a few months earlier than expected.

"We're right behind you," Jay encouraged, smiling when his daughter looks over her shoulder to grin at him, "Lead the way."

The baby may not have understood but she moved as if she did. She started walking –or waddling- whatever you want to call the walk that babies at her age do. Occasionally she looks back to ensure they're following behind, and like Jay said, they are directly behind her, only a step away to guide her in the right direction. Like now…when Haven notices a decorated mailbox on the lawn at the edge of someone's property. The painted butterflies draw in her attention and she reaches out towards them, switching direction as her feet steered her towards the street, "Oh no you don't," Erin reprimands, practically lunging forward to grab her wrist –a little too roughly- to guide her back on course, "This is the way we go."

Haven was steered past the mailbox and towards the next house –Voight's home. Erin held her hand the entire time, especially up the driveway since it's a small hill that would most likely either tire her little legs out or have her falling. By the time they reached Voight's front door, Haven was back in her mother's arms, this time with little protest. Tonight will definitely tire her out; it shouldn't take much to put her to bed later.

"Are you going to let us in?" Jay readjusted the dessert in his arms and the bag on his shoulder.

"I uh," Erin pats her pockets, "I think I forgot the keys at home."

"Fortunately there's a house full of people who would happily open the door," he grins, reaching out for Haven's hand to guide it towards the door, "Would you do the honor?"

Erin pressed a kiss against the side of her daughter's head as she took it upon herself to close her daughter's hand in order to make a fist, "Knock," she directed, hitting the door with her own fist to show her what to do, "Give it a try."

If they had to depend on Haven's knock to alert the household of their arrival, they would never be granted entrance. The brush of her tiny knuckles against the door was comedic at best. It barely made a noise as she practically rubbed her fist against the wood.

"Here's something a little easier," Erin whispered, taking her daughter's hand to guide it towards the doorbell.

When the little button emitted a chime, Haven pressed it again and again and again until Erin set her back down onto her feet. She loved to mimic. It was one of her favorite things to do especially when the results were instant. The act of pushing a button and hearing a noise as a response had her bursting with joy. The little smile on her face with her dimples appearing and all were absolutely infectious. Both of their eyes were drawn and focused on their daughter's smile that they didn't even notice Danny opening the front door, "Happy Thanksgiving!"

It pulled their attention away from their daughter and they returned the greeting.

"Danny," Olive hollered from a few feet behind him, "What did I tell you about answering the door without an adult present? It's dangerous!"

"It's just Aunt Erin, Uncle Jay and Havie," he grumbled, reaching forward to take a hold of Haven's hand. Like the big and protective cousin he vowed to be, he helped her step up the one stair in order to enter the house.

"I don't care who it is Danny," Olive sighed, smiling thankfully when Jay hands her the dessert, "and Happy Thanksgiving guys. I believe you two are the last to show so dinner will probably be served in a few minutes."

A day for family, to provide thanks and to be grateful provided Voight's house with a love and warmth that only came once a year. It wasn't about the turkey or the stuffing or the pumpkin pie or the many other delicious, traditional dishes served. All of that is great; it's like the icing on top of a cake because thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without it. But, this federally recognized holiday is about so much more; it's family, food, football. It's being with each other, being thankful for each other, being grateful for your home, your loved ones, your job, the food you eat and all of the little to huge things that encompass your life. It's a holiday where you can relax; take a break from work and chores to just take a breather, sit back and celebrate.

It's why everyone who could come out was at Voight's house. Voight was in the kitchen finishing off the remainder of the food dishes, Danny was impatiently waiting for Erin to finish unzipping Haven's coat, and Will and Olinsky were in the living room watching the football game. This year Natalie couldn't make it; she took Owen to visit his birth father's side of the family for the holidays. She rotates every year and this year it was their time to be with the paternal side of her son's life.

"Hey Erin, hey Jay," a familiar voice greeted as the sergeant entered the foyer.

"Olivia," Lindsay replied, stooping low to finish working the zipper on her daughter's coat, "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I'm actually here in Chicago for a case and Hank invited me over for dinner when he found out that I wouldn't be home for the holidays."

"Well I'm glad he did," Jay responded, easing towards the living room. He was dressed for the game and he intended to watch as much of it as possible.

"I'm glad he did too," Olivia sighed, stooping low to be eyelevel with Haven as Erin finally managed to get her coat off, "I'm really glad because I finally get to meet your little one."

"This little one is growing up pretty fast," Erin whispered, smirking as Haven grabbed onto her leg to bashfully hide her face from Olivia, "you'll have to excuse her, she's a little shy."

"Understandable," Olivia stands up straight, "I'm a stranger. She doesn't know me. I know I'm almost a year late, but congratulations on the baby. I saw her picture on Voight's desk when I stopped by for a visit. It seems he has fallen into his grandfatherly duties quite well."

"Yes, she's the apple of his eye," Erin laughs, watching in her peripheral as Danny finally takes a hold of his little cousin's hand to pull her away, excitedly gushing to her about his toys that he wants to teach her how to play. Lindsay honestly didn't know how much fun Haven would be since the little boy normally grew frustrated with her because she didn't understand the rules of the many games he has tried to teach her over the last few months.

The toys usually ended up thrown feet away from her or inside of her mouth. She wasn't his age, she didn't know how to partake in structured play with rules and guidelines. He attempted to teach her, but it never worked out and it always ended with her nephew frustrated and pulling all his toys from her hold. She just wanted to hold, squeeze and bang things together. And that's all.

"Make sure you stay where someone can supervise," Olive hollered before carrying the dessert into the kitchen. Danny gave his mother a thumb up to let her know he's heard her as he leads Haven into the living room containing three adult men who will most likely pay more attention to the game on the television than the two kids in need of adult supervision.

Erin gives Olivia a hug before excusing herself to the kitchen to join Voight in whatever help he may need. She pokes her head into the kitchen, being mindful not to disturb Hank while he's in the zone. Watching him plate the dishes reminds her of her youth, to a simpler time, a time that involved Camille cooking alongside her husband and Justin keeping track of the football scores as his parents cook and she organizes the dining room table. It was a memory that she thought about every year, one that always left an ache in her heart to know that her memories involving them will no longer expand. She'll never have memories of Haven with Justin or her with Camille; she's constricted to a certain amount of recollections that will never grow.

"Hey," Voight unties the apron from around his waist, "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, sorry, I just didn't want to disturb you."

"Nonsense," he tosses the oven mitts over onto the counter, "where were you just now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I looked over and you were here but you were not here at the same time if that makes sense."

It made total sense.

She nodded, walking further into the kitchen, "I was just thinking about Camille and Justin. This was her favorite time of the year. It even came before Christmas for her."

"You know she would be proud of you," he reassured, lifting one of the dishes to hand to her, "and I know for a fact that she would be proud of how you are with Haven. You're such a good mother," she grew a little teary-eyed and since both of her hands were full, she couldn't wipe them, "I don't think I could be more proud either."

Even with the pan situated in her hands, he manages to envelope her into a hug. She holds the pan against her side, moving it from between them as she wraps her free arm around him, "Happy Thanksgiving, Hank."

"Same to you, Erin. Come on, let's set the table."

As each warm dish of food was organized on the table cloth and each placemat was situated, laughter and applause could be heard from the living room. Both knew it had nothing to do with the game. That usually earned shouts and curse words. Voight went to fetch Danny's old high chair while Erin ventured off into the living room to collect everyone for dinner. She made the short trek from the dining room to find the television on but the attention of everyone in the room on her daughter. Haven was basking in it, enjoying the devotion and adoration.

Haven was standing, bouncing up and down to the tune playing during a commercial on television. Olive was recording her, laughing along as Olivia clapped in encouragement. A bottle sat near her feet; Jay must have given her one to hold her over until it was time to eat. Haven continued to bounce and clap her hands even after the commercial ended. She picked up her speed, smiling as Will cheered her on. Erin laughs, reaching over to pick up Haven's bottle from where she's dropped it on the floor. Her chubby legs held her up as she bent over from the waist, little palms on the floor as she continued to do the one dance move she was capable of doing. A round of applause filled the living room the second Haven stopped dancing, "That was perfect timing little one," Erin walked over to pick her up, "because it's time to eat."

"Finally," a chorus of cheers rang out.

Jay rose to his feet and waited for his wife to walk over, "I must say, I do believe Haven gets her dance moves from you. You two have the same sense of rhythm."

"You're funny," she sarcastically replied, "but if you ask me, I say she gets it all from you."

"The speed in which that bounce of hers was going, I don't think I can argue with that."

A genuine smile graces her face followed by a small chuckle. Erin's smile softened and she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, "You're such a good dad and husband. I don't think I tell you this enough but we're lucky to have you in our lives."

"And I'm lucky to have the two of you," he leads the kiss this time, pecking her lips quickly before following them into the dining room.

"Are you ready to eat actual food, Havie?"

Haven cheered, clapping her hands as she's carried into the dining room. Everyone is already surrounding the table, the food is organized in the center and hands are held out, waiting to be held. There's a highchair between two empty seats designated for she and Jay. Haven is seated inside and her parents take the hands of those beside them.

"I was thinking we can go around and say what we're thankful for before eating," it was Olive's suggestion; it was something they started doing after Justin passed away.

And most of the statements made were the usual. Everyone was thankful for their health, their family, their jobs, their friends, the food and as Danny so kindly added his toys. Once the last bit of thanks was given, everyone took a seat and immediately started making their plates. They didn't want the food to get cold and as they filled their plates with food, conversation filled the table. Erin passed the mashed potatoes to Jay for him to scoop a spoonful onto Haven's plate just as Hank did the honors of cutting the turkey.

"Can you pass the gravy, Will?"

Jay's brother nodded and handed it over to Olivia. Olive filled their wine glasses as she warned her son to be a bit more careful when scooping collard greens onto his plate. She continuously had to tell him to make sure it gets on the plate and not the table cloth. A tiny bit of every soft dish at the table was put on Haven's plate just to give her a taste of what this holiday has to offer, "Want to try and use a spoon?"

Her rhetorical question is left unanswered as Erin holds out a plastic green baby spoon towards her. It's grabbed by her right hand and she uses it to tap into her food, finding it to be more of a toy than an actual tool to feed herself.

Jay smirked, sliding the spoon from her hand, "Let me see," he scoops up a little bit of stuffing and airplanes it towards her mouth, "Say aah," she doesn't but she does in fact open her mouth.

The food makes a smooth landing and as she chews her parents use the opportunity to either finish making their plates or feed themselves. Haven watches her mom use a spoon to scoop mashed potatoes and gravy into her mouth; she averts her eyes from the silver spoon in Erin's hand to the green plastic spoon on her high chair. She lifts it up, taps it once again in her food and brings it towards her mouth. It misses. Horribly. The mashed potatoes lands on the side of her face while the gravy drips down her nose.

"I don't think the spoon was such a good idea," Will laughed, sliding his phone out to take a picture of his niece.

Haven didn't seem to mind. She kept the spoon in her hand and attempted again. Unsurprisingly, she missed her mouth completely. The stuffing landed in her hair and Erin had to stop eating to pull out the bits and pieces of food from the strands of her daughter's hair. Jay takes the spoon from her hands the second a small piece of turkey lands on his lap. It seems to be safer –and maybe cleaner- to feed her themselves. The second Erin is done cleaning the stuffing from her hair, Jay feeds her a spoonful of collard greens.

By the kicking of her feet and her clapping hands, she loves them. She does not wait to be fed another bite, she reaches for the greens on her plate and attempts to feed herself. A drop gets into her mouth while majority of it falls onto her lap.

"I don't think I'll ever eat if I keep cleaning you up," Erin said, turning back to resume eating her own food, "I'll just clean you up once we're all done eating."

"So Erin…" it's Olivia that calls her, "where does Haven go while you and Jay are working?"

"She stays with Emily; she's educated in child development and early childhood. She watches one other kid too, but Haven is the youngest one," Erin answers.

Jay takes a sip of his drink before adding, "And Emily talks to her in another language. Yesterday when Erin and I went to pick Haven up, Emily told her to put one of the toys away in German and she did just that. If Emily keeps it up, she'll be bilingual. She says the younger kids are, the easier it is for them to learn a new language." Erin nods along in agreement.

Thanksgiving dinner conversation continued. Topics such as politics, investigations, television shows and the recent developments in each other's lives filled the table. Will was in the middle of a joke he heard at work when Haven throws a piece of turkey off her high table.

"No, no," Jay scolds, waving for Will to continue as he cleans up the discarded turkey.

Erin helps Haven finish the remainder of her meal as good conversation and heartfelt laughs filled the dining room. It was good to see the daily stresses that have impacted everyone's lives fade away. If only for this one night, it was a relief to see. Once Haven finished, Erin digs into the diaper bag and withdraws a few napkins to wipe the gravy from around her daughter's hands and mouth, "Aunt Erin," at the sound of Danny calling her name from across the table, she looks up, answering his call with a curious look, "for the rest of my break my mom is going to let me stay with grandpa. Do you think we can hang out one day?"

She's using the wet wipe to clean off her daughter's sticky fingers, "Of course bud," she wipes the cloth over the baby's mouth, clearing the surrounding area of the food that unfortunately didn't make it past her lips, "I think that'll be a great idea. Maybe we can hit up the batting cages or go see a movie? We can plan a day if you'd like?"

"Can I plan it? Please? Pretty please…" Danny is practically bouncing up and down in his seat until his mother reaches over to place her hand against his shoulder, giving him a look that clearly reads for him to calm down and be still.

"I think that'll be fine."

He pounded his fist in the air, "Yes!"

Once the baby's hands and mouth are wiped clean, Erin pulls the baby into her arms, setting the little girl facing her on her lap as she listens into the conversation, "I love my Chicago Bears don't get me wrong, I just don't think they'll make it to the SuperBowl."

"I thought you were a loyal fan," Erin chimed in, glancing down to watch Haven play with the necklace around her neck, "if you're as loyal and dedicated to your team, they deserve a little faith." The charm of her necklace falls between her breast as Haven continues to lift and drop it over and over and over again. It keeps her occupied so Erin doesn't mind in the slightest.

"I am a loyal fan, but I'm also being realistic here," Jay defends, earning a few chuckles around the table, "I'll still root for them throughout the rest of the season but I'm not setting myself up for disappointment that could have been avoided."

"And you claim to be a diehard fan," Olive chuckled.

"It was his idea for us to wear matching jerseys," Erin added, smiling down at her little one situated on her lap, wrapped in her arms, "he said it would give his team good luck today."

"Why would they need good luck if you aren't expecting them to win?" Olivia is now joining in on the teasing. All Jay can do is look over towards the guys, half expecting them to jump in.

Erin briefly left the conversation just as Will jumped in on his brother's behalf. She left the debate in the hands of Olive and Olivia when her daughter started babbling in her lap. Haven's chest leans and rests against her mother's chest, her little chubby hands continue to play with her necklace and Erin only intervenes when she makes a move to put the charm inside her mouth.

"No, no," she said, smiling softly at Haven as she reaches up to trace her finger along her chubby baby cheek, "that's not meant to go inside of your mouth."

"I miss those days," Olive whispered and it was in that moment that Erin realized the conversation had shifted and everyone's focus had been on her and Haven.

The charm no longer held her daughter's attention. Now her head lay between Erin's bosom, facing her dad as she watched him eat the rest of his pumpkin pie. He held his spoon out to her but she shook her head, turning to look away. Her legs remain parted and draped over her mother's lap. One of her legs on one side and the other leg on the other. She yawns the second Erin starts to rub circles into her back, eyes fluttering open and shut as she fights the inevitable sleep that desperately wants to overtake her.

"You can say that again," Olinsky backed up Olive's earlier remark, "I remember when Lexi was that small. All she wanted to do was be in my arms. Now I have to practically beg her for a hug."

Olive nodded, elbow on the table and chin resting in her palm as she sighs dramatically, "Yeah, my little one is just growing up on me. And pretty soon I won't be his favorite person anymore."

"Motherhood looks good on you, Erin," Olivia imparted, smiling kindly as she watches her longtime friend brush a few strands of Haven's dirty blonde hair out of her face; it was the few strands that unfortunately didn't make it into her two adorable pigtails, "I'm still trying to get used to seeing you as someone's mommy. It's a good look on you."

"It feels good. My heart just smiles because of her," Erin whispered, rocking side to side. She witnesses the second her daughter's eyes shut in what is expected to be a brief nap.

Haven peacefully sleeps as Erin holds her in a chest-to-chest hold. Her chubby cheek rest above Erin's heart and the steady beat of it, comforts and soothes her as she drifts off. After checking once more to ensure her daughter's head is facing to one side so she can breathe, she looks up and lifts her spoon, carefully using her one free hand to eat her pie.

"Be honest with me, Erin," Olive spoke up, leaning forward as if she was about to ask something private, "have you ever dropped your baby?"

"Honestly," she swallows down a bite of pie, "I did," she averted her eyes around the room as everyone surprisingly turned to face her, "okay, it wasn't my finest hour and I read mommy blogs all the time and a lot of parents have unintentionally dropped their babies. And to be more specific, I didn't technically drop her, I had her on the bed a few months ago and she rolled off."

"Have you ever dropped me, mommy?" Danny looks up at his mother; mouth covered in crumbs and whipped cream from his hot chocolate.

"I did maybe once or twice," Olive admitted ashamedly, "it was a few months into me being a single mom after Justin, you know?" Everyone silently nodded as she continued, "I was sleep derived from caring for a one year old and working all hours of the night, it was an accident, but he's here, healthy and perfect so that's a thing of the past."

A few chuckles surround the table as Voight departs from the kitchen holding a tray of fresh mugs of hot chocolate. No one had even noticed he had disappeared but seeing Danny with his cup made total sense. He must have left with his grandfather to extend a helping hand and returned the second his own cup was finished. Erin carefully takes hers from her husband's hold, whispering a quiet thanks as she brings it to her mouth, "Uh oh," she hears Will chuckle as the baby begins to stir, "we should have known the little rascal wouldn't be out for too long. Maybe she wants some hot cocoa? May I?" He looks to her parents for permission before extending his own cup after blowing against the steam a few times, "Take a sip."

Will has total control of the situation, holding the mug to her little lips and tilting it enough for a few drops to fill her mouth. When he pulls the mug away, a little mustache of whipped cream remains above her upper lip, sitting there until Erin wipes it away with the tip of her thumb, "Did you like it?" She doesn't expect an answer and isn't surprised when she doesn't receive one, "she has to get herself together. She just woke up."

With the back of her hands, Haven wipes her own eyes and buries her face in between her mother's bosom. She yawns and tilts her head up, chin on Erin's chest as she takes in her mother's eyes, "Hi baby, welcome back," Haven grins at the greeting and lifts her head up.

"Can we go back in the living room to finish playing?" Danny asks, practically bouncing off his seat and over to Erin, his hand already outstretched towards Haven, "Please, we'll be good."

"Whatever you mess up, make sure you clean it up," Olive ordered the second Haven is placed back onto her two feet, "and watch her Danny, remember she's not as big as you and she doesn't know better. Make sure she doesn't get into anything."

"I promise," he takes his cousin's hand and practically yanks her.

Only she tumbles and falls and his small body isn't strong enough to pick her up.

"How about you lead and she'll follow?" Jay recommended, watching as his daughter struggled to push herself back onto her feet.

"…but she can't walk well," Danny retorted.

"That's true," he rose from his seat to lift his little one back onto her unsteady feet, "but she may crawl after you. There are other alternatives that she could use to follow you."

"So, leave her?"

Jay laughed, shaking his head, "No, walk, but don't go so fast. Stay close and if she looks like she got distracted by something and goes off course, lead her back. Fortunately the living room isn't too far away. And we'll be in there shortly to catch some more of the game."

Danny does as instructed and as assumed before, she does venture off course, only for him to go back and attempt to steer her in the right direction. She grins at him and he always says that's her way of thanking him. Eventually the family decides to leave the dining room and catch what's left of the game on television. The table is left a mess as everyone drags their feet and their full bellies into the other room. As if it was second nature, Jay and Erin scan the living room before even thinking about watching television. They look around until they see Haven, sitting in front of Danny as he plays peek-a-boo with her.

Danny sits cross-legged in front of Haven and uses his small palms to cover his face, leaving the baby anticipating the big reveal. And moments later, when he removes his hands and exclaims 'peek-a-boo' she claps and doubles over in laughter. He does it again and gets the same reaction. He does it once more and she laughs just as hard as she laughed the first time. It's only when Danny covers his face for too long that stirs the opposite reaction, Haven's bottom lip quivers and she reaches forward to hit his hand but right before she's able to, he drops them again and screams, "peek-a-boo!" She laughs. And Erin captures a picture.

"Now you try," he directs, reaching forward to take her hands and bring them up to her face, "come on Havie, it's your turn. I don't want to do it anymore."

Haven doesn't follow instructions. She pulls her hands away from him and sits patiently, watching and waiting for him to play another round of peek-a-boo.

Erin notices that at some point during the child's game, Jay slipped away to take a seat on the couch beside Olinsky. Once he knew his daughter was nearby and safe, he found it easier to relax and watch the game. She felt compelled to join him and would have if her eyes didn't scan her child's clothing and zero in on her bare feet. When they came, Haven had socks and now hours later, she's no longer wearing any. Erin crosses the room and stoops down to her daughter's eyelevel, "Where are your socks?" for some unknown reason Erin expects an answer, whether verbally or through her pointing in the direction where she discarded them, "Where are your socks? Danny, do you know where she tossed her socks?"

"No," he shakes his head before turning his attention onto one of the toys he brought over.

"Why do I even bother putting socks on your feet?" Erin whispered, more to herself than the baby that's staring at her. She reaches out and twirls a strand of Haven's hair dangling out of her pigtail around her finger.

And Jay watches, he takes in the sight of his two favorite girls, the two women he love the most and he couldn't help but feel grateful and lucky. They're his family and on this day –Thanksgiving- he finds himself giving thanks for that. In the past year, he came close to losing so much yet he still has them, they're happy and safe. Even though his wife continues to glance around in search of two small baby socks, she's never looked so beautiful. With a crease in her forehead as she thinks long and hard, trying to remember if Haven had them on her feet at dinner, she manages to still look gorgeous.

At some point Erin gives up and just scoops the baby into her arms, maneuvering her around into a hello-world type of hold where Haven's back rest against her chest so that her head is comfortably resting between her mother's breast. One of Erin's arms is under the baby's bottom and the other is across her chest. The hold provides their curious and nosey baby with the ability to see where her mother is taking her and that's towards him. He scoots over to give his wife room to flop down onto the couch, only removing her arm from under the baby's bottom so she could situate their daughter better on her lap.

As the night grew later, the game came to an end and Thanksgiving started to wind down, everyone grew exhausted. With plates made to eat tomorrow, everyone began bundling themselves up to venture back outside one last time to head to their cars and get home. The baby had dozed on and off for the duration of the game, but now as she stands awake and alert, with her small hand holding onto Hank's shoulder as he guides her feet into her -finally found- socks and shoes.

"She's being so good for you," Olive coos, leaning forward to brush a goodbye kiss to the baby's forehead, "Anytime I try to put shoes and socks on her, she whines."

"That's because she's my little buddy," Voight responds, moving to slide on her other boot. She switched hands in order to secure a new position as he wiggled the boot onto her foot, "Alright, I'm all done. Can I get a goodbye hug?"

Haven slowly drops her hand and nods her head up and down, and then up and down once again before moving towards his open arms. She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed into his embrace. He tightened his arms around her, squeezing her snug and inhaling her flowery baby scent. Her eyes fluttered closed and she was on the verge of falling asleep until the hug ended. Erin eased over, gently pulling her daughter towards her, "I'm hoping she falls asleep on the ride home," she yawns, zipping the baby's coat up, "I'm actually counting on it," she snugs the wool hat onto her daughter's head.

The second Erin was finished; Jay stepped in and drew the baby up into his arms. Almost immediately her head found comfort resting on his shoulder, breaths coming out even as she slowly starts to fall asleep. She fought it though. She struggled to keep her eyes open. Even as her family trickled out of the house, sending waves in her direction, she managed to fight it. Using her last bout of energy, she lifts her hand and waves it side to side before succumbing to the exhaustion and falling asleep, carried to the car safely in her father's arms.