A/N: You guys are the best! I'm so glad you enjoyed the ending, it wasn't what I had originally planned but I'm also really happy about where it ended up.

I'm not too confident in this chapter but I feel it's necessary, hopefully you all like it… I've added more of the characters thoughts in with the actual dialogue so just remember italics and apostrophe are thoughts and not what they're saying :)

Enjoy!

Erin trudged tiredly down the stairs of Hank Voight's house the next morning, and immediately took in the concerned look on her pseudo-father's face. She could only imagine how bad she looked at the moment; she spent most of the night crying her eyes out and watching TV in her room. She was sure she looked like an absolute mess.

Hank looked at her mussed hair and bloodshot eyes, frowning as she silently flopped down on the stool at his breakfast bar. He passed her a cup of coffee and she smiled gratefully before taking a large sip.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Erin shook her head "Not really."

"Are you going to be okay today?" Hank asks.

"Hank. I'm a professional, I can handle myself." Erin rolled her eyes.

"… Promise me if you need some time you'll tell me."

"I promise." Erin smiles.

"Did something happen last night with Halstead?" Hank asks "Did he do something to you? I swear to god-"

"Hank, he didn't do anything, he doesn't even know I'm back. I just realised last night that I can't do all of that again. Jay and I work better as partners; and we need to keep it that way. I don't want to fall back into old habits."

"I thought you loved him?" Hank asks.

"I do … But he doesn't love me. And I hurt him enough the first time around, he deserves to move on."

Hank frowns at her words "Move on? Are you sure something didn't happen with Halstead?"

"Of course not; I just mean in general. He should be happy with somebody else." Erin says, not wanting to relive the memory of last night any more than she already had been.

"Okay…" Hank says sceptically "Well, we're leaving in 15."

"I'll be ready." Erin says smiling softly as Hank gives her a quick side hug before exiting the kitchen.

Erin lets out a heavy breath, staring down into her coffee as she feels tears fill blur her vision once more. She wiped furiously at her eyes and her head fell into her hands as she tried to calm herself. She wasn't going to do this. She wasn't going to cry over Jay Halstead. He wanted to be friends, and he had moved on. She would be his partner and nothing more.

This was going to work. She could do this. At least, she hoped she could.

At the same time, Jay Halstead sat at his desk in Intelligence filling out paperwork he was – as usual – behind on. Amelia sat at Hailey's desk waiting for everyone to get in to the office.

"So, are we going to talk about what you said last night?" Amelia asks suddenly.

Jay sighed "It doesn't matter Amy. There's nothing I can do about the situation."

"There's always something that can be done." Amelia says "Look, I get it, you're in love with some random chick. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't try to move on with your life."

"My life is fine the way it is. And she isn't just random chick."

"Really Jay? You're pining after some mystery girl whose in another city; that's not a life!"

"Amy, enough! If you saw how I was 3 months ago … I wasn't in a good place. But I'm better now, and I'm telling you, my life is good the way it is. I don't need to move on."

Jay was almost yelling now, and he took a few deep breaths trying to calm himself. He could see the surprise on Amelia's face but at the moment he didn't care. He didn't want her to think that she had a chance with him; he wasn't over Erin. He wasn't sure he ever moved on from her.

"Uhh, hey. Are we interrupting something?" Jay turned to see Adam and Kim standing awkwardly at the breakroom where they had come up from the locker room.

"No, nothing important." Amelia mumbled before sitting back down at the desk.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as everyone settled back into work, the rest of the unit slowly making their way in over the next half an hour, with Hank showing up last.

"Catching up on your beauty sleep Sarge?" Jay joked as his boss walked in.

"Something you clearly know a lot about Halstead." Hank grumbled, but Jay could see the glint in his eyes. He enjoyed the comradery he now had with his boss, the last three years having bonded them in a new way.

"So, before we start today, I have an announcement." Hank sighs "As you all know, Kim will be going on maternity leave for the next three months, and Adam will be on paternity leave for two weeks. I've been looking into temporary recruits, and I'm glad to say that I've found a permanent addition for our unit."

"I thought we were already at maximum capacity?" Antonio asks.

Hank nods "Well, with us being two members down over the next few weeks, we need the extra help. And after that, Alvin has decided to cut down his hours to spend more time with Michelle and Meredith. So, we can afford to have another member since Alvin will be part-time now."

"So, who's the newbie? Do we know 'em?" Hailey says.

"I think it's safe to say I'm a familiar face." The entire unit turns at the familiar voice, their eyes collectively widening when they see Erin standing at the top of the staircase smiling at them.

"No way." Antonio is the first to speak, walking over to Erin and giving her a hug "Welcome home."

Erin smiles and whispers her thanks, suddenly squealing when Atwater picks her in a bear hug.

"It's good to have you back Lindsay."

Everyone says the same sentiments, Erin smiling as she's welcomed back into her family once more. She sees Jay still sitting at his desk, obviously surprised. Her eyes look to the right and see her. That woman; the one she hand seen Jay Halstead kissing just last night. She felt her heart ache a little more when she realised not only was Jay moving on, but she would have to work with the woman.

She steeled herself, moving away from her friends and towards the woman. She stood in front of the desk ignoring Jay's questioning eyes as she put out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Erin." She said politely.

The woman stood and shook her hand "Hi, I'm Amelia Bryer. I'm on loan from Vice."

'So that's how she knows Jay. They used to be partner.' Erin nods "It's nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you."

"You too." Amelia smiles.

Erin can see Hank looking at her suspiciously, and she's praying with every fibre of her being that he doesn't know what she's really feeling towards this woman. This was her second chance; she wasn't going to let her jealousy get the better of her.

…

"Hey partner." Jay smiles walking into the breakroom.

Erin freezes at his voice, turning slowly to face him "Hey."

"How come you didn't tell me you were coming back? I could've helped you move some of your stuff back while I was there."

"I hadn't really decided on it then." Erin says quietly.

Jay nods, feeling nervous as he asks the next question "So, what made you decide to come back."

'We were cuddled up in my bed and I realised I was still in love with you.' She shakes her head to rid herself of those thoughts "I just wanted to come home. I missed everyone."

Jay hears how rigid her tone is and frowns "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" She laughs awkwardly.

Jay sighs "Look Erin, about what happened-"

"It's all good Jay. We agreed to leave it in the past. You're right; Let's not risk history repeating itself. She cut him off before walking out of the breakroom without giving him a chance to answer.

He turns his head, watching her walk away from him. 'What if I wanted to risk it?'

Erin and Kim sat in the office later that afternoon, Erin catching up on the case file while Kim does some of the Admin work she's behind on.

"I still can't believe you're back. This is perfect timing!" Kim says as she puts some folders away "What made you come back now?"

"I missed you guys. And I was getting tired of New York; it's not home. Plus I couldn't miss baby Ruzek's entrance into the world now could I?" Erin says taking a sip of her coffee.

Kim cocks an eyebrow at her friend, not believing a word she's saying "Are you sure it has nothing to do with you and Halstead boning each other in New York?"

She feels her coffee get stuck in her throat, coughing loudly and spluttering coffee all over Kim's desk. Kim chuckles quietly, grabbing some napkins and wiping at the table before handing a tissue to Erin to wipe her mouth.

"Who the fuck says boning?" Erin mutters as she cleans herself up.

"When you have a child inside of you, swear words are apparently a big taboo." Kim rolls her eyes "You should've seen the dirty looks I got from the other parents at the birth classes when I swore at Adam. And don't think I didn't notice how you avoided the question."

Erin rolled her eyes at Kim's response "He told you?"

"It doesn't take a genius to notice the happy look on his face. This boy hasn't been laid in three years, it was the only logical scenario really." Kim shrugs "So? What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing. He's moved on." Erin mutters.

Kim frowns "No he hasn't! Erin that boy has been in love with you for the past three years, there's no way he's-"

"Yes he has Kim. He was making out with Amelia last night. I saw it myself."

"What do you mean?" Kim asks.

"I came back last night. I drove straight to Jay's house, I wanted to talk to him about what happened in New York, and what me being back here meant for us. I got to apartment and I called him when I was outside, and Amelia picked up. I hung up and I saw them, kissing." Erin says softly "He's moved on Kim. I need to let him; I've caused him so much pain the past three years, he deserves to be happy."

"Erin … I'm sure it's just a big misunderstanding. Just go talk to him." Kim presses.

"No." Erin says defeated "I'm done fighting for us. He said from the beginning he just wanted to be friends, and I have to accept that now. There isn't another option."

Erin sat Molly's later that night, unsure of whether she should leave or not. The unit had insisted she come for celebratory drinks to commemorate her return, but Erin's heart wasn't in it.

Of course, she was happy to be back home with her family, the knowledge that she wouldn't be leaving them in a few days to go back to New York gave her a sense of content she hadn't felt in a long time. However, watching Jay and Amelia sat at the bar in conversation made Erin's heart sink to her stomach.

She focused back on the drink in front of her as Kim bumped shoulders with her from the stool next to her. She looked up to see her friend giving her a knowing look, silently telling Erin to talk to Jay. Erin simply shook her head and looked back down at her drink.

Could she really do this? Could she work in Intelligence again, having to watch Jay move on with another woman? Things had been going so well for them the past few months. Their last night in New York was magical, and it gave her hope that Jay was feeling what she still felt for him even after three long years of pain. But as she looked at Jay and Amelia once more, she felt like an even bigger idiot for ever believing that Jay Halstead would want her back after everything she had put him through.

"Lindsay, you with us!?" Adam yelled across the table and Erin's eyes snapped back to her colleagues, forcing a smile.

"Sorry. Yeah." She mumbled.

Adam nodded raising his glass "To Erin. Welcome back Lindsay, we missed you more than you'll ever know."

Erin smiled at her friend's mini-speech, raising her own glass in the air "Believe me I know. I missed you guys just as much."

The rest of the team lifted their glasses up, everyone yelling "Cheers!" as their glasses all clunked together. And for the first time that night Erin felt a genuine smile grace her lips, and she made herself a promise in that moment.

She wasn't going to worry about Jay and Amelia tonight. She wasn't going to let her broken heart dictate her actions. She was going to spend time with her family, and celebrate being here with them again. She was going to celebrate being home.

…

"Are you sure you don't want to sit with everyone?" Jay asked again as he took his beer from Hermann.

Amelia shook her head "It's Erin's night, I'm the odd man out. You can go over if you want."

"Don't be silly, I'm not going to leave you on your own." Jay said glancing at his team seated across the room.

The truth is, he did want to be with them. He wanted to be drinking with them, listening to Adam's inappropriate jokes that made everyone rolls their eyes, and Atwater's jokes. He wanted to listen to Kim complain about not being able to drink and curse her husband yet again for knocking her up.

But most of all, he wanted to be with Erin.

She had been acting strange all day, and it was bothering him. What bothered him more was that she never mentioned the possibility of her moving back to Chicago. Why didn't she tell him when he called?

'I never would've said what I did if I knew there was a chance.'

"Hey, you alright?" Amelia says clicking her fingers in front of him.

"Yeah." Jay says, still distracted by his thoughts.

Amelia sighs "It's Erin, isn't it? She's the girl."

Jay doesn't say anything, just nods before taking a sip of his beer.

"Why haven't you told her how you feel?" Amelia asks.

"I didn't think it was worth it. She was in New York, and I was here. Our relationship barely worked when we were in the same unit, how the hell were we going to withstand separate work schedules in separate cities?"

"But you're not anymore, so why haven't you made a move?"

"We agreed nothing was going to happen between us. And clearly she doesn't want to be with me. She would've told me she was coming back when I said that the distance meant a relationship would never work." Jay replies dejectedly.

Amelia smirks at Jay's words, feeling her confidence rebound after last night's rejection. Jay looked back up at her and she forced a sad smile, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Jay. But maybe it's a sign. It's time to let go." Amelia says with a shrug.

Jay sighs taking another long sip of his beer before responding "Maybe it is."

…

"Hey." Jay says quietly as he takes a seat across from Erin later that night.

"Hey." She replies looking down at her drink.

There's an awkward silence that they both feel choking them, and Jay clears his throat loudly before asking "Where did everyone go?"

"Adam had a few too many, and Kim was tired, so they headed home about half an hour ago. Atwater's at the bar trying to convince Hermann to let him host a party at Molly's North for his sister's 18th birthday. Antonio left ages ago; Diego and Ava are meeting him and Brett for dinner tonight." Erin explained "Where's Amelia?"

Jay nodded at the information "Her boss called to check in on the case. Hermann's letting her use his office so she has some privacy."

It's quiet again, the nerves growing within Erin as she clutches her drink tightly "I'm really sorry."

"For what?" Jay frowns.

"Amelia." She simply states, and Jay simply looks at her even more confused "If I had known you were seeing someone, I never would've let that night happen. I hope I didn't cause any trouble for you."

"What are you talking about?" Jay asks.

"Amelia. You don't have to worry about my feelings Jay, I'm a big girl. I can handle the news that you're dating someone." Erin tries to make it sound like a joke, but her throat tightens and the words come out more pained than she wanted them to sound "Anyways, um, I just hope I haven't caused any problems for you guys. I didn't even consider the possibility that you were dating when we slept together."

He can see the pained expression in her eyes, and it shakes him out of the confused state he seems to have been in since she started apologising. "Erin, you don't understand-"

"It's okay Jay. You don't have to explain it to me." Erin cuts him off, quickly standing as she sees Amelia coming out from the back office "I should get going, It's been a long day. I just wanted to say I'm happy for you. You deserved to be happy Jay."

He watches as she grabs her bag and begins moving through the packed crowd of people that fill the bar, unsure of what to say to her. 'The only person I want to be happy with is you.'

"Hey, everything okay?" Amelia asks as she sits down in the seat Erin had just vacated.

Jay quickly looks at her before standing from his stool. Amelia looks at him concerned, waiting for him to answer her.

"No. It's all wrong." He mumbles before rushing after Erin.

A/N: Okay, so I'm not sure if I established any relationships and stuff for Antonio or the other IU members – except for Adam and Kim of course – so hopefully the mention of Antonio and Brett wasn't too odd lol.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I got a bit stuck on how to write the ending so apologies for the late update.

As always, please review! Let me know what you think of Amelia …

- Maddie :)