I got a request for Piper and kids her own age so trying this out - let me know what you think! (My favorite part is the end)

Piper was somewhat skeptical about the prospect of meeting her former foster family, but agreed to the trip provided that Erin and Jay would both be there. Erin emailed back Allison Chase and they decided a short stop by on Saturday would be good. The little girl was certainly nervous, and Erin was as well. There was something about seeing the only good parents Piper had ever known that filled her with anxiety, but especially because they previously wanted to adopt her.

"Do you still want to come with us?" Erin asked gently, swiping mascara on her lashes in their bathroom while Jay zipped up his jeans. She paused when she caught his surprised look in the mirror. "I know you're going through a lot and-"

"Babe," Jay shook his head, "No matter what I'm going through, I want to be there for you guys too." He offered a small smile when he saw her lips quirk upwards in the mirror's reflection. "You two are always there for me."

Erin let out a breath and set the mascara down before turning to face her boyfriend. "Good," she said, "I want you to be there." She stepped forward and placed a hand on his chest. "You're part of our family. You should be there."

Jay leaned down to kiss her gently. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Remember Noodle, you're coming home with us," Erin repeated after glancing into the rearview mirror to see her sister's nervous features, "We're just stopping by to say hello, and picking up some things that Allison said used to belong to you."

Piper nodded and looked out the window. She recognized the neighborhood they were in. When Erin slowed to a stop in front of the address Allison provided, Piper drew in a breath. It was the same place she'd lived before. "We'll be there the whole time," Jay promised, unbuckling himself in the passenger seat, "We won't be long either, okay?"

Allison Chase waved from the front stoop as Erin, Jay and Piper walked up to the house. "Thank you so much for coming," she gushed, "It is so good to see you again."

"Thank you, uh, for inviting us," Erin said, shedding her winter coat upon entering. "You have a lovely home."

Piper held Jay's hand tightly as she stood in the living room of the house she'd spent a few weeks in growing up. It was different than she remembered, but she recognized some of the furniture and pictures on the wall.

"We updated the house a few years ago," Allison said lightly, "But the upstairs is still pretty much the same."

"Beautiful kitchen," Jay remarked politely. He could feel his little friend shaking slightly beside him. He gave her hand a light squeeze, hoping it would reassure her that he was there.

"I used to sit there," Piper whispered, gesturing to a seat at the kitchen table. She glanced up at her former foster mother, who gave a sad nod, "Right?"

"You did." Allison cleared her throat, "You and Caroline used to sit next to each other." She glanced out the window in the kitchen. "I don't know if you remember my husband, Kyle. He's bringing the kids back from their playdates." She looked up to Erin. "We uh, thought it would be good to ease into things here."

Erin gave a grateful nod. The house was nice. Allison had her kid's artwork up on the fridge, along with a large calendar with schedules for dance classes, karate, soccer and tennis. "Hey Mom." A young boy entered through the side door, kicking his shoes off as he entered, "We're back."

"Hi honey," Allison replied, "You guys have a good time?" He nodded and glanced to the strangers in the kitchen. "Remember what we talked about."

The boy nodded. "I'm Tommy," he said, locking eyes with Piper. "I'm not sure if you remember me."

Jay watched as Piper just stared at the young boy, unsure of what to do. "Drew keeps taking my gloves," another little voice exclaimed. The voice was quickly followed by a younger boy, probably about the same age as Piper. He stalked into the kitchen and looked at his brother, then to Jay, Erin and Piper.

"We have guests, dude," the older brother chastised gently, "You remember Piper?"

The other little boy looked at Piper and then to his mother. "Hi," he said, remembering his manners after receiving a pointed look, "I'm Jack." He pointed to the youngest little boy who barreled into his mother's legs, "That's Drew."

"And I'm Caroline." A blonde little girl shed her coat and hung it on the back of a chair. She offered a big smile. "It's really good to see you again, Piper."

Piper continued to regard the other children in the room silently, unsure of what to do or say. "I'm Erin," Erin said, hoping to break the awkwardness, "I'm Piper's sister, and this is Jay."

All four children gave waves. "Are you a policeman?" The youngest, Drew, asked Jay. He pointed to the badge on Jay's hip.

"I am," Jay cleared his throat and offered a smile, "I'm actually a detective."

"Wow," Drew said, "Daddy, there's a detective in our house!"

Jay lifted his eyes to meet the gaze of the father in the house. His hair was speckled with bits of grey, eyes crinkled in the corners. "Halstead?" the man said in shock, "Jay?"

Erin widened her eyes in surprise when Piper's former foster father recognized her boyfriend. "Sergeant Chase," Jay managed, realization hitting, "I uh, didn't put that together until just now."

"Wow," Kyle Chase blew out a breath. He glanced down to the little girl gripping his former private's hand tightly. "Small world." He offered a gentle smile. "Hi Piper. My name is Kyle. It is so good to see you all grown up."

"You two know each other?" Allison said in surprise, placing a hand on her daughter Caroline's shoulder, "Wow."

"We uh, served together in Afghanistan," Kyle said, running a hand through his hair, "Halstead was one of my best guys." He grinned. "It is so good to see you man." He extended a hand to shake Erin's, "You've got a good one."

Erin shook. "I know," she said, offering a smile, "We do have a good one." She placed a hand on Jay's arm. "Jay and I are uh, raising Piper together actually."

"You used to live here too, right?" Drew, the youngest, asked Piper, "When I was a baby?"

Piper managed a small nod. "I think that I um, shared a room with Caroline."

"You did!" Caroline exclaimed, "You want to come see it?"

"We'll be right down here," Jay promised, giving Piper's hand a squeeze. Erin nodded in agreement.

"C'mon," Caroline took Piper's other hand to lead her up the steps, her brothers behind her, "We can show you the playroom too!"

When the kids disappeared up the steps, Erin turned to Allison. "Your kids are really great," she said, "Piper uh, usually likes to stick with us."

Allison nodded. "They're on their best behavior today," she said with a chuckle, "But thank you. Caroline's been really looking forward to this. It's been a bit tougher to explain to Drew, but the older kids remember when Piper lived here."

"How old are they?" Jay asked, glancing to a family picture on the wall. Allison poured them all coffee, and he was seated beside Erin at the Chase's kitchen table. He still couldn't believe that his old sergeant had been Piper's foster father almost five years ago. They'd lost touch after Kyle Chase left the military following Jay's first tour, but he remembered they were in Chicago. He didn't realize he'd had a family.

"Drew's five, our youngest," Allison said, "Then Jack is eight, Caroline just turned eleven and Tommy is almost thirteen."

"Caroline loved having a sister," Kyle recalled fondly, "We had Piper over the summer, and Caroline didn't waste any time showing her friends her new sister." He let out a breath. "It uh, was really tough for her when Piper left."

"We're still piecing some things together," Erin managed, her voice thick with emotion. Hearing people who used to know and love her little sister talk about her before she knew her was causing her chest to ache. "We have a few files but it's uh, mostly just about what Piper remembers." She paused, "She does seem to have good memories here."

Allison gave a watery smile. "So do we," she said, squeezing her husband's hand, "With the exception of losing her of course. After that we uh, ended up closing our home to foster placements. We still support through various organizations but it was too painful to go through again. I just can't imagine what it was like for her."

Erin just shook her head, unable to get the words out. It had been terrifying for Piper. Heartbreaking. She was fairly certain that some of the bad dreams her little sister endured were a direct memory of being separated from the family whose home she was currently seated in.

"Can you uh, tell us a little bit more? About what she was like, when she was here?" Jay took Erin's hand underneath the kitchen table.

Allison smiled wistfully. "She was shy the first two weeks, barely said a word. We uh, had been fostering about five years at that point, had several kiddos come and go. Tommy was gosh, probably eight at the time. He was actually our first foster, who we ended up adopting. Piper was just five, but Tommy seemed to connect with her first of all the kids, I remember. She and Caroline shared a room, and Caroline used to read to her before bed. She was six going on sixteen. Still is."

"We found out she was allergic to clams," Kyle offered, "We were able to adopt Caroline and Jack right before Piper came to stay with us, and we had a family cook out a few weeks after with some friends and family. Poor thing was so sick."

Erin tightened her grip on Jay's hand. "She uh, mentioned that actually. Said that you were the only person who ever held her when she was feeling sick, until Jay."

Allison wiped her eye. "You mentioned she'd been in some difficult situations after leaving our house?"

She nodded slowly. "Jay actually found her through work," she said, her voice low, "Coming up on about seven months ago."

Kyle leaned back and sucked in a breath. "Her foster parents had locked her in a closet of a stash house," Jay continued, "We're honestly still trying to figure out what happened before. There are bits and pieces she's shared, but uh, it wasn't good. I brought her back to my place for protective custody, and then Erin stepped in and was able to get custody her."

"I was living in New York," Erin explained, "I had no idea she ever existed, not until I got the call. My mother, our mother she uh, wasn't the best. Still isn't."

"We knew she wasn't in the picture," Allison said, "The social worker at one point said she'd passed, and that's why we started pursuing adoption. It wasn't til we started the process that we realized she was still alive."

"She wasn't in the picture for me either," Erin mused, "I wasn't actually in foster care but I when I was fifteen I moved in with another family. I cut out my mom for eight years, that's when she had Piper. It was only after Piper was born and in care that I saw my mom, and I had no idea. Bunny was always in trouble."

"Bunny?" Kyle raised his eyebrows. "Honey, didn't we get a note from a Bunny? When Piper was staying with us? We gave it to DCFS, who were going to bring it to the police. We never heard anything."

Allison widened her eyes. "We did. It-it was about Piper. Something about not wanting us to adopt her. Some guy later threatened you, didn't they?"

Kyle nodded. "I forgot about that." He met Jay's gaze, "I was running through the neighborhood, got knocked out cold by some jackass, threatened to kill me if we tried to adopt. We told the police about that too, but nothing else ever happened." He paused, "I guess Piper did leave a week later though."

Jay felt his girlfriend's pulse accelerate. He was thinking the same thing. Bunny had known more about Piper than she ever let on, and never did everything.

Erin drew in a breath. "Our biological father was pulling the strings on Piper's life for pretty much it's entirety. I've still never met him, but uh, Piper has seen him briefly. He's been running a network of um, bad people for a number of years."

She squeezed Jay's hand tightly as the couple across the table stared at her, almost in disbelief. "He never wanted her adopted so uh, sent people to attack her foster parents. Several of her foster parents actually ended up being a part of that network. It was why Jay found her." Erin swallowed, "I uh, got attacked too, last year when I was in court trying to get custody of her over our mom. They finally got the guy this time."

"Good," Kyle practically growled, "What kind of bastard hurts a child?"

Jay shook his head slightly. He hated thinking about how much pain and suffering his little friend had to endure. "I ask myself that a lot."

"You must see some awful things in your line of work," Allison said, "But to find Piper and take her in. That's incredible. And that you two are together now after meeting through her, both raising Piper?"

Erin managed a small smile. "Jay and I actually used to be partners. Uh, before Piper. He knew she was special when he saw her."

"Such a great kid," Kyle smiled, "You two are very lucky."

Both Jay and Erin nodded in unison. "Are they okay up there?" Erin asked, glancing upstairs. There hadn't been much noise.

"We should go check," Allison said, rising from her seat, "We'll give you the tour."

Piper glanced around the bedroom that used to be hers. Well, half hers. Caroline's bed was still in the same place, but there was a desk where hers used to be. She had a whole bookshelf of books and pictures. Drew had excitedly showed Piper his bedroom, all of his toys and games, while she smiled politely.

It was overwhelming to say the least.

She had good memories in the Chase's house. They made good food, they were gentle, they didn't yell. Allison and Kyle were good parents, and Piper remembered that it was fun to have a big sister. She hadn't forgotten about Caroline and the boys per se, but she'd blocked them out of her mind. Being in the house had everything rushing back, and Piper was feeling a lot of conflicting emotions.

"We were in foster care too," Jack offered, sitting on his big sister's bed, while Piper took in the room she once lived in, "I'm not sure if you remember that. All four of us were. Our mom and dad wanted to keep us all together." He wrinkled his nose, "But our biological parents are still out there somewhere."

"My biological mom tried to get me, eventually," Piper said carefully, "But uh, then Erin got custody of me. Which is way better because my mom is uh, not good."

"Ours isn't either," Tommy assured her. "It's good you got to go live with your sister. Crazy that you didn't know about her."

"She uh, didn't know about me either," Piper told them, "But um, Jay found me, and he knew Erin."

"I still worry about our biological parents coming back to take us," Caroline whispered, "Even though we're all adopted."

Piper nodded and shifted on her feet. "I try not to think about it," she replied, shaking her head slightly. She drew in a breath and jumped slightly when Allison knocked on the bedroom door.

"How's it going in here?" Allison asked lightly, "Everything okay?"

Caroline nodded. "We were just looking through some old stuff."

Jay glanced into the girl's bedroom, imagining his little friend there nearly five years ago. Caroline's favorite color also seemed to be blue, and she was a big reader as well. Jay could see Piper looking up to the older girl. Piper could have had a good life with the Chases.

Piper stood to move closer to Jay and Erin but paused when she caught sight of something on Caroline's bookshelf, something she never thought she'd see again.

"Do you remember this?" Caroline asked, reaching up to take a stuffed and worn floppy dog off the shelf, "Missy?"

Piper nodded slowly. "You used to take her everywhere," Caroline continued, extending the dog to Piper, "She came with you. When you had to leave, they took you so quickly and uh, I forgot we'd been having a tea party right before, so Missy was at the table. We-we tried to find you after to give her back to you, but we never could."

She held the dog carefully, memories of her earliest years coming rushing back. Piper wasn't sure when she got Missy, but she helped her feel safe. "Missy was even in our family photos that summer," Allison said with a gentle smile. She looked to Erin and Jay, who had their eyes trained on Piper as the little girl held the stuffed animal. "We liked to get family photos taken with every child. To capture what it was like right then."

"You would sleep with her at night and take her with you everywhere. I knew some day you would be back for it," Caroline whispered, "I'm really glad you're okay."

Erin swallowed the lump in her throat as her sister held the stuffed animal. "You can take her with you," Jack said from his place on the bed, "She's yours."

"T-thank you," Piper managed, unsure of what to do or say next. "I um, forgot about this."

"I'm pretty sure I had a dog that looked just like that," Jay said in surprise, "I called it Sparky. I probably still have it somewhere."

"That was your nickname in basic training, if I recall," Kyle chuckled, clapping Jay on the back. "Jay accidentally left something in the microwave too long and there was a small explosion."

That got a smile on Piper's lips. Jay shook his head with a chuckle. "I forgot about that," he said honestly, "I can cook a bit better these days."

"Jay's good," Piper offered softly, "He teaches me and Erin how to make recipes."

Erin leaned against their kitchen table in exhaustion. The time spent with the Chases had been far more successful than she had anticipated. She couldn't believe that Kyle had not only been one of Jay's sergeants in his time in the military, but was also one of Piper's foster families. The serendipity of it all had her heart bursting, especially when she saw just how proud the older man appeared to be of Jay when he watched him parent her little sister.

While Kyle and Jay briefly caught up, Erin had the opportunity to watch her little sister engage with kids her own age. She knew from her correspondence with Piper's teachers and the little girl's school day recaps that Piper was fairly shy, but Erin couldn't stop watching her interact with the Chase kids. Drew, the youngest little boy, was positively enamored with Piper, repeatedly asking if he could show her his toys and artwork.

Erin couldn't believe how well Piper handled the entire situation. She had honestly expected far more nervousness and rigidity, but her little sister put on a brave face as she was overwhelmed with past memories. She could tell the child was fading after two hours and after Tommy brought out a box of Piper's old things. It was small, containing a few pictures, a blanket, a few other stuffed animals and a folder of papers. Allison picked up on Piper's exhaustion as well, and suggested they take the box home with them, but to call with any questions.

Her heart nearly cracked when Caroline told Piper that she hoped to see her soon, and when the three boys nodded in agreement. They were a good family, and Erin was so glad that Piper at least had those good memories amongst the years of turmoil and trauma.

"Where's my favorite munchkin?" Will called out after Jay pulled open the front door to let the red-headed Halstead inside. Erin had also forgotten that Will was coming over for dinner with Chinese food, but was grateful that none of them would have to cook. "I brought her a present."

"What, no present for your brother?" Jay quipped, accepting the bag of take out to plate up, "I'm a little offended."

"It's a gift for you too," Will insisted. He grinned when he saw the little girl emerge from upstairs, "Hey munchkin."

"Hi Will," Piper said, offering a weary smile. She leaned against Erin tiredly, craving comfort from her big sister after a long day. "We're having Chinese?"

"Mm-hm," Erin stroked her hair gently, "I think Will picked up those dumplings we like too." She smiled when Piper nodded. "You're sleepy, huh, Noodle?"

Piper gave another shy nod. "Well, I have something that might be of interest," Will said, his eyes sparkling. "I don't know if Jay told you, but growing up, we used to love building these wooden airplanes. I was walking down town and I saw it in a store window and I just had to get it." He extended a box to Piper, "I thought it would be fun for you guys when it's too cold to go outside."

"That's awesome," Jay said excitedly, "Pipes, you can even paint it."

"Thank you," she said, examining the box intently, "That's really cool." She showed the box to her big sister, who smiled in appreciation at her boyfriend's brother.

"We used to have a whole bunch of 'em," Will said, "Mine were always better than Jay's. Surgeon's hands." He wiggled his fingers, and Piper giggled.

"I was telling Piper about that dog I had growing up, Sparky," Jay said as he passed his brother the fried rice, "The little brown one. Turns out she had one just like it when she was little."

"We visited Mrs. Allison's house today," Piper informed the doctor, "I lived there before I went to Donny's. They kept the toy for me." She took a bite of the noodles Erin had scooped onto her plate, watching as Will's eyes turned sad.

"Also turns out that Sergeant Chase was actually one of Piper's foster parents," Jay continued, "The sergeant on my first tour, who I met at basic training."

"No way," Will's eyes widened in surprise. "Small world."

"He was nice," Piper shrugged, "I don't remember him a lot though. I recognized him today when we met the other kids I used to live with." She gave a small smile. "They were nice, but I'm glad that I got to come home with Erin and Jay."

Erin stroked her sister's head gently. "We are too," she mused. "I think it's really cool that you and Jay had the same stuffed dog. I used to have a cat, I think. I don't know whatever happened to it."

"It's a good thing it stayed with Caroline," Piper said, glancing to the stuffed dog in the box that sat on the coffee table, "I couldn't keep anything after Donny."

Will's eyes fell upon the stuffed animal that Piper had referenced. "Woah, that does look like Sparky," he said, swallowing the bite of fried rice. He paused. "Wait. Can I see it?"

Piper nodded and went to pick up the dog. "I used to take it with me everywhere, I guess," she said, holding it out to Will, "I called it Missy. It was even in some of the pictures they took of me when I lived there."

Will accepted the stuffed toy and examined it closely. His eyes widened as he ran his hand over the worn fabric. "Jay, uh, Mom actually sewed Sparky herself. I had one too, I'm pretty sure. But uh, when she was first going through treatment, before things got bad, she'd make them for the NICU babies in the hospital." He held up the toy and pointed to the foot where there was a small monogram stitched. "JH. Joanna Halstead."

"What?" Jay took the dog from his brother and ran his fingers over his mom's initials. "Oh my god."

Piper glanced from Will to Jay. "I had something your mom made? Since I was a baby?"

Erin nodded and put a hand on her partner's arm while he processed. "You probably got Missy when you were first born." She swallowed, "Your mom was in treatment about ten years ago, right?"

"Yeah," Will said, "She was diagnosed while Jay was overseas and at the beginning, when things were pretty optimistic, she could sew and stuff." He drew in a breath, "I can't believe you had one of her stuffed animals, munchkin. That's crazy."

"Looks like there were a lot of hints from the universe that we were all supposed to be together, huh?" Erin mused, continuing to stroke her boyfriend's shoulder. "That's really something, that Noodle had a gift from your mom, all this time."

"Babe?"

Jay met his partner's gaze over the top of the book he was reading. His girl was supposedly reading as well, but her mind appeared to be miles elsewhere. "Mm?"

"Do you think she would have been happier? If she stayed with Allison and Kyle and their kids?"

He widened his eyes in surprise at Erin's question and instantly placed the book beside him to focus on his girl. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, trying to get a read on whatever was troubling her.

"Like do you think she'd be better off? Better adjusted, healthier, all that?" Erin grasped her hands together. "Seeing her in that house today with other kids and good parents just got me thinking." She let out a breath. "What if I'm not good enough for her?"

"Babe," Jay exhaled, shuffling across the bed to pull her into his arms, "Don't think like that. Piper is supposed to be with you, with us." He stroked her shoulder. "I know today was a lot."

"They put their kid's artwork on the fridge," Erin croaked, "They-they have family pictures, grandparents, toys and stuff everywhere. You can tell that kids live in that house and that they're loved and cared for and…" she trailed off, "I just want to be enough for her. To be what she deserves. She-she deserves that, Jay. The artwork and the toys and kids to play with."

Jay was quiet for a moment, allowing his partner's words to hang in the air. "She had a good life there," he said slowly, "And I think, had the cards fallen into place, she would have been happy there. But there always would have been a piece missing." He pulled the book he was reading off the bedside table. "I've been reading about kids who end up getting adopted, and the science behind trauma. And sometimes, the best scenario for children is getting adopted into a new family. But there is also research that shows that families who are able to reach reunification, those children end up doing better. It depends on the kid, the circumstance, but I know that Piper was meant to be with you. She gets to know where she came from. She gets to grow up knowing her big sister. She gets to be with someone who knows exactly what she's been through. No amount of toys or artwork on the wall can replace that."

Tears filled Erin's eyes as Jay's words washed over her. "You don't think she wishes she could go back there?"

Jay shook his head adamantly. "You've given her what she needs, babe. You keep trying to adapt to whatever she needs too."

"Allison was such a mom," she whispered, "A real mom. Homemade cookies, kissing boo-boos type mom." She swallowed, "Like Camille. Piper, she's never going to have a real mom like that."

"You're filling that gap," he said gently, "I know it doesn't always feel like it, but you are. I see it every day." He kissed the side of her head gently. "You're more a mom than you realize."

"Easy for you to say when you're the biggest dad I ever met," Erin quipped, "You're so good at it."

"And so are you," Jay promised, "Moms are supposed to worry about their kids. You've got that covered. They're supposed to love their kids. You've got that covered too. They're supposed to keep their kids safe and healthy and happy, and you do all of that for Piper."

She kissed his shoulder carefully. "I guess I haven't really been thinking about us as parents. But we kind of are." He nodded and held his girl closer. "You know, sometimes I think about what it would be like if we had kids. Like kids of our own, half yours, half mine," she whispered, "Whenever I see you and Piper together I just think about how you're such a good dad."

Jay smiled wistfully. "You've thought about us having kids together?"

Erin nodded. "When we were together, before I left…I thought about it a bit. And now, when I see you with my sister I…I think about it a lot. I know we're focusing on her right now but maybe one day we could-"

"I think about it a lot too," he assured her, unable to keep the smile off his face, "I wasn't sure how you felt, I didn't want to push you or-"

"You did that right," she snorted, "If you brought up kids a year and a half ago you might have sent me screaming in the other direction. But now," she swallowed, "Seeing Piper with those other kids today, a family…it got me thinking again. I used to think I wasn't cut out for it but after Piper and now with you, maybe we could. One day."

Jay rubbed her belly delicately, imagining what it would be like if there was a part of him growing inside his girl's stomach. "You're already a good mom," he murmured into her hair, "And Pipes would be such a good big sister-aunt."

Erin pulled his arms closer around her. "I wouldn't want her to feel replaced or outcast or anything," she whispered, "Because when the Chases brought home another baby, she had to leave. And based on her file, that happened when she was really little as well."

"Nobody could ever replace her," Jay promised, "She's incredible. You're incredible, too." He lifted the shirt of his that Erin had worn to bed and ran a finger across her flat stomach. "Imagine a little baby in there."

"No baby in there right now, Halstead," she chuckled as Jay placed a series of soft kisses on her belly, "Just a whole bunch of Chinese food. Which was delicious, by the way."

"Mm," he replied, continuing to place delicate kisses down his girl's torso, "Maybe we can see what we can do about that."

"Jay," she giggled at the tickle of his lips. She dragged her fingers through his hair, "We can't make a baby right now. I've had an IUD for ages."

"Maybe not today," he replied huskily, leaving a trail of kisses below her belly button, "But we can have some fun."

This wasn't originally going to be a whole chapter but somehow it happened and I just let it so I hope you liked it! I loved the little request about planning their family and thought it fit in right here :)