"I love you," Jay said as he locked the front door of the house.
"I know," Drew smiled, "You've been saying that a lot."
Jay nodded and walked with Drew down the street, "Mom and I want to make sure you know."
"Because of what I said yesterday?" Drew asked quietly.
Jay bit his lip, "Yeah, bud, because of yesterday."
Drew scratched his arm, "I was upset."
"I know you were," Jay grabbed his hand, "But what those other kids said to you was not at all true."
"So I was dumb for believing them?" Drew asked.
"No, I am not saying that," Jay said, "I'm saying they were very mean and lied to you. They were bullies."
"Bullies?" Drew looked up at him.
"Yeah," Jay nodded, "Bullies are bad kids who purposefully hurt other kids."
"Why?" Drew kicked the ground.
Jay sighed, "I don't know. Sometimes it's because they were bullied before."
"How do I stop them?" Drew mumbled.
Jay hesitated, "Um," he rubbed his face, "You know what? I'll teach you when we get back home."
Drew smiled, "Really?"
"Yeah," Jay nodded, "I have this week off, remember? We'll have lots of time to practice fighting bullies."
"Thanks!" Drew hopped a little, "I'm excited."
Jay chuckled, "Me too. It'll make me feel better knowing you know how to protect yourself."
They finished walking to the park and Drew smiled when he saw Cara and Kim, "Hey!" he ran away from Jay.
"Drew! I hate when you do this," Jay groaned and ran after him.
"Hi," Cara waved.
Drew sat on the blanket next to her, "Your mom is off too?"
"Kim's not my mom," Cara said quickly, "I love her, but she's not my mom."
Drew blushed and nodded.
Jay sat down, "Hey."
"Hey," Kim smiled slightly. She turned to Drew, "Uh, yeah, I'm off too."
"Cause she hurt her neck," Cara nodded.
"Da-Dete-J-Jay too," Drew said, keeping his eyes from Jay.
Jay raised his eyebrows, but chose to ignore the comment.
"I packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone," Kim said and opened up her cooler, "Is that okay?"
Drew swallowed and nodded.
"Thank you," Jay took two sandwiches from her, "We really appreciate it."
"I love peanut butter and jelly," Cara smiled.
Kim laughed softly, "She also loves chips, so I packed a lot of those too."
Jay chuckled, "Chips are delicious," he passed a sandwich to Drew, "Here, bud."
Drew blushed and took the sandwich, "Thanks…J-Jay," he winced and opened the bag.
"You okay?" Jay whispered.
Drew nodded and scratched his arm.
"Why are you calling me Jay?" Jay asked quietly.
"It's your name," Drew mumbled.
Cara laid back on the blanket and took a bite of her sandwich, "I love that Kim's home cause then we don't gotta go to babysitting."
"You're going to choke," Drew said and pulled her arm, "You're not being safe and you're not talking right."
"Be nice," Jay shook his head.
"Don't gotta go isn't correct," Drew breathed and hesitantly bit his sandwich.
Kim glanced at Drew before nodding a little, "Cara, sit up while you eat, okay?"
Cara sighed and sat up, "Fine, fine."
"Did you two want to play on the swings after lunch?" Kim asked.
Cara smiled, "Yes! Drew, want to play horse with me? We don't have to play princess horse, we can play just horse."
Drew rolled his eyes, "You can't play horse on the swings."
"Yes you can," Cara said, "We can play unicorns."
"Unicorns don't fly," Drew started, but paused when Jay shot him a look, "So I'll be a Pegasus instead."
Cara shrugged, "Whatever."
They quietly ate until Cara declared she was done and stood up.
"Want to go swing with her?" Kim asked Drew.
Drew chewed his lip and looked at his half-eaten sandwich, "I'm not done."
"You can go play, it's okay," Jay said.
Drew shifted around on the blanket, "Are you sure?"
Jay nodded, "It's fine."
"Okay," Drew said softly and followed Cara to the playground.
"Stay close!" Kim called after them.
Jay sighed, "He's upset."
Kim looked at him, "Drew?"
Jay nodded, "And why is he calling me Jay? He never called me just Jay."
"Maybe because Cara calls me Kim?" Kim suggested, "She did kinda snap at him when he called me her mom."
"She hasn't done that yet?" Jay asked.
Kim shook her head, "It's okay though, I don't mind. I'd like it if she did, but I understand. Her mom died within the last year, she's still fresh in her mind. I can't replace that."
"That's rough," Jay breathed and turned to lean back on his hands while he watched Cara and Drew.
Kim nodded, "She has nightmares a lot."
"Drew too," Jay glanced at her, "Will said we shouldn't constantly let him in our bed, but I feel horrible when he comes in crying."
"When we first met, did you ever imagine we'd be suspended from work together having a picnic with our kids?" Kim asked.
Jay chuckled, "Honestly, no, but I don't mind."
Kim smiled, "I like it." She looked back over at the swings and her eyes widened, "Cara, Cara!" she stood, "Cara Marie!"
Jay looked over in time to see Cara jump off the swings.
Cara landed on her feet in a squat and laughed, but Kim ran over yelling, "Cara Marie! You do not jump off of swings."
Jay followed her, keeping his eyes on Drew.
"I'm fine," Cara giggled, "I'll do it again."
"No," Kim grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to the blanket, "That is not safe, you could have gotten hurt," she continued scolding her as they walked.
Jay sat on the abandoned swing, "Please don't jump off swings."
"Oh, don't worry, I know how dangerous that is," Drew nodded.
Jay smiled slightly, "Good."
Drew lightly kicked his legs, "Was I disrespectful?"
"By doing what?" Jay asked.
"I called you Jay," Drew said quietly, "I didn't even say detective."
"What I don't understand is why you even said it," Jay said.
Drew scratched his arm, "Cara doesn't say 'mom.'"
"You don't have to copy her," Jay lightly nudged Drew's shoulder, "She has her reasons for not saying 'mom' just like you have your reasons for saying it."
Drew shrugged.
"I also don't think she'll make fun of you for saying it," Jay added.
"Sometimes we fight," Drew said.
Jay chuckled, "I know, but all brothers and sisters fight."
"We're not brother and sister though," Drew looked up.
"You two lived together for a while," Jay shrugged, "You seemed to have become like siblings."
"I do love her," Drew nodded.
Jay smiled, "Nothing wrong with that."
Kim walked back over with Cara, "Sorry."
"It's okay," Jay said and stepped off the swing, "Cara, want me to push you?"
Cara blushed and shook her head.
"He's nice," Drew smiled, "And he doesn't push too high."
"I got in trouble," Cara mumbled.
Kim squatted in front of her, "Because you were doing something dangerous."
Cara rubbed her eyes, "I didn't know."
Jay knelt down and whispered in Kim's ear, "Tell her you love her."
Kim raised her eyebrows, "What?"
"Just do it," Jay breathed and straightened up.
Kim looked back to Cara, "I love you."
Cara sniffled, "But I got in trouble."
Kim shook her head and rubbed her thumb over Cara's cheek, "I still love you even if you made a mistake."
Cara smiled slightly and hugged Kim, "Thank you."
Jay winked at Kim and stood behind Drew to lightly push him on the swing.
Kim smiled back at him and stood up, "Come on, let me push you, girly."
Cara happily sat next to Drew, "She still loves me."
Drew nodded, "Did she hurt you?"
Cara shook her head, "Not at all!"
"Good," Drew sighed.
Kim winced and looked at Jay.
He shook his head and continued pushing Drew on the swings.
Hailey stood outside Jay's truck and rubbed her face, "Just why?"
Adam walked around and stood next to her, "I did talk to Platt today, she said she was able to get it covered since Kim swerved and they were technically in pursuit."
Hailey rolled her eyes, "He's lucky."
"Kim's lucky, she was the driver," Adam said.
Hailey looked at him, "So now you're admitting it?"
"Shut up," Adam chuckled.
"What do you think they're up to?" Hailey walked back in the district with him.
"Well, Cara loves playing princess horse, so probably that," Adam laughed.
"And Drew loves bird watching, so that is most definitely on their list," Hailey smiled.
Adam nodded, "What a pair."
Hailey laughed, "Think it's a good punishment for screwing around while on the job?"
"Eh, I'm a little jealous," Adam shrugged, "I wouldn't mind another week off with Cara."
Hailey smiled, "Have you two talked about adoption?"
"Many, many times," Adam chuckled, "But we're going to wait until we're married and we want to plan maybe slightly longer than you and Jay."
Hailey laughed, "What was wrong with our wedding?"
"Nothing at all, but Kim's a little too anal for a thirteen day engagement," Adam smirked.
Hailey put her hands up in defeat, "Fair, fair."
Adam lightly knocked her shoulder, "You'll definitely be invited though."
Hailey laughed harder, "Oh, good."
Jay passed a ten-dollar bill to the man in the ice-cream truck, "Thank you."
Cara tugged on his shirt, "Thanks for the ice-cream, Mr. Jay."
Jay smiled at her, "You're welcome."
Drew licked his popsicle, "This is delicious."
"I completely agree," Kim said and pointed her ice-cream bar at him.
A car pulled up to them and Adam stepped out, "Hey, you four!"
"Adam!" Cara ran over to him.
Hailey parked the car and got out, "Those look so good."
"What are you doing here?" Drew smiled.
"Everything okay?" Jay asked as he hugged her quickly.
Hailey nodded, "We're good," she squeezed Drew's shoulder, "We were driving past when we saw you guys getting ice-cream and it looked too good to ignore."
"Do you want mine?" Drew held his out.
"It's okay," Hailey smiled, "I'll eat Dad's," she winked.
Jay chuckled and passed her his ice-cream cone, "Here you go."
"Mmm, thank you," Hailey happily took a bite, "What other plans do you two have for today?"
"Dad's going to teach me how to stop bullies," Drew said.
Hailey looked at Jay and raised her eyebrows, "And how do you plan on doing that?"
Jay shrugged, "We'll be careful."
Hailey crossed her arms, "You will not teach him how to fight."
"Self-defense is an important skill," Jay said.
"Jay Halstead," Hailey warned.
"It'll be fine," Jay squeezed her hand, "Trust me."
"Last time I did that you knocked his tooth out," Hailey hissed.
"I got five dollars for that," Drew smiled.
Jay chuckled, "See? It worked out."
"What did?" Adam walked over carrying Cara.
"Jay wants to teach Drew how to fight," Hailey said.
"That's a bad idea," Kim shook her head.
"I don't know, I'm into it," Adam nodded.
"Thank you," Jay said.
"I need to stop bullies," Drew told Kim.
"Are people bullying you?" Kim asked.
"They told him he was stupid for thinking Mr. Jay and Mrs. Hailey are his mom and dad," Cara explained.
Drew blushed and stepped behind Jay.
"That is not okay," Adam shook his head and looked around Jay at Drew, "You are not stupid."
Drew nodded slightly and pressed his face into Jay's back.
Hailey softly rubbed Drew's back, "But we talked about it and Will explained nature verse nurture, right, honey?"
"Good," Kim nodded.
"You know what? Let's do a boys' night tomorrow," Adam lightly hit Jay's arm, "Me, you, and Drew, we could invite Kevin too. We'll teach him self-defense."
"I still don't like the idea of him fighting other kids," Hailey said.
"I agree. Guys, they're not physically hurting him," Kim added.
"But this could be the start and I want him prepared for when or if they choose to hurt him," Jay argued.
Hailey and Adam's radios went off saying a home robbery was in progress around the block.
Hailey sighed, "This is not over," she kissed Jay's cheek and knelt next to Drew, "Be good, I'll see you tonight."
Drew nodded and hugged her.
"I wish we could join you," Kim said as she hugged Adam and took Cara from his arms.
"Go be a superhero," Cara smiled.
"This is why you're my favorite girl," Adam chuckled and kissed her nose before running to Hailey's car.
"Bye," Hailey waved and ran after him, responding to the radio call that they were on their way.
"I miss my job," Jay groaned and tilted his head up to the sky.
"What do you miss?" Drew asked.
"I miss helping people and the…thrill of going into a house or a building and not knowing what I'll find," Jay explained and squatted in front of Drew, "But I do love spending time with you even more than I love my job."
Drew smiled slightly and nodded, "Okay."
"Okay," Jay kissed his forehead, "Lick your popsicle; it's melting."
Drew laughed softly and licked it, "It's really good."
Jay smiled and nudged his chin, "Good."
Jay glanced at the clock and rubbed his face. Hailey still wasn't home and it was pushing midnight.
Drew walked down the stairs rubbing his eyes, "Where's Mom?"
Jay looked back, "Hey, bud, you okay?"
"Where's Mom?" Drew repeated.
Jay put his hand out, "Come here."
"Is she hurt?" Drew asked while getting on the couch.
Jay winced, "No, no, she's just still working."
Drew sniffled and curled up against Jay, "I had a bad dream."
"What happened?" Jay asked and pulled the blanket over him.
"I was hurt and in a big scary room," Drew mumbled, "And Doctor Will wasn't coming and I wasn't allowed to see you or Mom, just the mean people."
Jay ran his fingers through Drew's hair, "You're safe now."
Drew jerked away, "Don't. Don't do that."
"Sorry," Jay said softly and set his hand on Drew's shoulder.
"Why can't I forget it?" Drew asked.
Jay bit his lip, "So your dream actually happened before?"
"Kind of," Drew gripped the blanket.
Jay sighed, "Well, it's like me, remember? We just have to figure out how to make you feel better and think about happy things again."
"Can we try the hot chocolate thing?" Drew asked softly.
"Definitely," Jay smiled and led the way to the kitchen.
Drew sat at the table, "Do we have whipped cream?"
"Um," Jay started the kettle of water on the stove and turned to look in the fridge, "No, I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Drew sighed.
Jay spooned the hot chocolate mix into two mugs, "What exactly happened in your nightmare?"
"I don't want to talk about it more," Drew said.
"No, Mom doesn't let me do that, so I'm not going to let you do that either," Jay sat at the table.
"W-What do you mean?" Drew scratched his arm.
Jay turned and grabbed a stack of post-it notes from the counter. He set it in front of Drew, "First, rip these instead; do not scratch."
Drew blushed and tore off a couple pieces of paper.
"And second," Jay continued, "I want you to talk about your nightmares so we can figure them out together."
"I don't…I don't want you to think I'm a bad person," Drew sighed.
Jay chuckled and shook his head.
"What's funny?" Drew blushed.
"No, I'm not laughing at you," Jay explained, "I just used to say stuff like that to Mom too. I used to tell her that I was afraid my past would scare her."
"Why?" Drew asked.
Jay took a deep breath, "Like I told you, I saw some really horrible things when I was in the Rangers-"
"Like what?" Drew ripped another post-it note.
"I can't tell you," Jay said quickly.
"Oh," Drew slowly nodded, "So why should I tell you my nightmare?"
"Crap," Jay breathed and rubbed his face.
The kettle screeched and Jay quickly jumped up to pour the water. He brought the two mugs back to the kitchen table and passed one to Drew.
Drew carefully sipped it, "It tastes good," he said quietly.
"Good," Jay whispered and drank his.
Drew glanced at Jay and played with the post-it notes.
Jay slowly finished his hot chocolate and took a deep breath to debate his words before saying softly, "I saw a little girl die. I think of her sometimes at night."
Drew's eyes were wide, "You saw people die?"
Jay nodded, "Yeah…a lot."
"That is scary," Drew whispered.
"Yeah," Jay looked down at his empty cup.
Drew swallowed, "I guess it's my turn now."
"Only if you want to," Jay said.
Drew shrugged, "If you can tell me something scary, I can tell you something scary too."
Jay tried to smile, "Okay."
"Once, when I wet the bed, the man pushed me really hard and I hit my head so I had to go to the doctor for a long time and I was alone and I didn't like it and I remember it in my nightmares," Drew said quickly.
Jay's mouth opened and closed as he tried to think of something to say.
"Was that too scary?" Drew asked, going back to scratching his arm.
Jay shook his head and scooted back in his chair.
"You're not talking," Drew said.
Jay swallowed and reached over to hold Drew against him.
"Oh," Drew winced, "Um-"
"Just…let me do this," Jay said quietly.
"Okay," Drew mumbled against Jay's shirt.
Jay pulled back after a minute, "I love you."
Drew blushed, "I love you too."
"You can wait for Mom with me on the couch," Jay said as he stood.
"Are you scared of me?" Drew asked and followed Jay to the living room.
"No, not at all," Jay sat back where he was before.
Drew laid on the couch and set his head on Jay's leg, "Good."
Jay smiled slightly and put the blanket back over him.
"Can I sleep?" Drew yawned.
"Of course," Jay said softly, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Thanks," Drew breathed and closed his eyes.
Hailey walked in the house just after two in the morning, "Jay," she whispered when she saw the back of his head and that the TV was still on.
He didn't answer her, so she walked over and smiled at him sleeping with his hand on the top of Drew's head. She took a quick picture of them before sitting on the couch and rubbing Jay's arm, "Hey, I'm home."
Jay blinked his eyes open and sleepily smiled, "Hey, how was work?"
"Good," she set her hand on the back of his neck, "Let's get you two upstairs."
Jay nodded and gently lifted Drew in his arms.
"You sure you can do that?" Hailey whispered.
"Yeah," Jay yawned and walked up to Drew's room. He tucked Drew in then pulled the trundle out.
"What're you doing?" Hailey asked quietly.
"Can't leave him alone," Jay laid down on the spare mattress.
"He'll be okay," Hailey lightly tugged his arm, "Come on, I want to lay with you; it was a long day."
"Lay here," Jay closed his eyes.
Hailey sighed and held back a smile, "Jay."
"He needs me," Jay mumbled.
Hailey shook her head and finally smiled, "Goodnight."
"Night babe," Jay sighed and pulled at the blanket.
Hailey laughed softly and closed the door as she walked out.
A/N: Thank you for all the kind words! I'm glad to be back too :) I also wrote that one-shot some of you suggested, it's called "Partners in Parenting" and I'd really like if you checked it out – it's basically me just writing without much plot haha. Anyways, thank you again for reading!