I think this is the second to last chapter...unless anyone is down for a sequel?


Piper let out a yawn at Hank's kitchen table as Erin greedily gulped down her second cup of coffee of the morning. Despite the fact that Donny had been apprehended, it ended up being a relatively long evening. Hank drove Jay, Erin and Piper back to his house after midnight and after settling Piper in bed, Erin was woken up by another round of gut-wrenching screams from her little sister.

The night terrors Piper was experiencing absolutely broke her heart. Erin was so glad that Jay had scheduled an appointment for Piper to see a therapist to hopefully help with the underlying trauma that was torturing the child's sleep. She'd elected to crawl into bed beside her sister, which thankfully did the trick. As soon as Piper cuddled into her side, Erin was out in a dreamless sleep.

But the sleep was short lived, as Hank was up early with a series of phone calls. Because he needed to be with Piper, he was pacing on the back porch, but the occasional boom of his voice carried, and so all his guests were awake with the sun.

"Are you hungry, Pipes?" Jay asked, taking another begrudging sip of the decaffeinated herbal tea Erin had brewed for him since caffeine was still off-limits, "Maybe we could whip up some pancakes or something."

"'s too early to be hungry," she replied, yawning again. Erin nodded in agreement and let out a yawn herself.

"Yawns are contagious, Noodle," Erin chuckled, running a hand over Piper's mussed hair. "You want to try to go back to sleep for a few hours?"

Piper shook her head. "I-I want to stay down here with you guys."

Just as Jay was about to suggest that they find a game to play in the living room, his boss entered the house from the porch outside. "You're up early," he remarked to Erin, glancing at the clock on the wall to check the time, "When did you become a morning person?"

"I didn't," she replied tiredly, "Couldn't sleep."

He nodded grimly. "Jay, do you have a second to chat?" The older sergeant gave his daughter a pointed look. "Erin, maybe you and Piper could head into the living room for a few minutes."

Jay gave a small nod. "I bet there's a recap on of the game last night that we missed," he said as lightly as possible, "I'm just going to have a quick chat with Voight, and then I'll be in to join you guys, sound good?"

Piper looked skeptically over to her big sister. Erin had furrowed her brow – something was up. She could tell by the look on her father figure's face. "Just a few minutes," Voight said to Erin, issuing a more no-nonsense look, "Ten tops."

She sighed and resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to be able to get the intel first hand given that she was no longer apart of the unit. "C'mon Noodle," she said, standing and extending a hand to the little girl, "We'll just be in the living room, and Jay's safe with Hank."

At that, Piper followed suit and held her sister's hand as she led them to the living room. Erin settled on the couch and couldn't help but smile when Piper sat next to her and leaned into her arm. "You doing okay?" Erin asked after a few minutes of combing her fingers through Piper's hair.

Piper nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for wakin' you up again last night."

Erin felt her chest tighten. "It wasn't your fault," she said quickly, "I haven't been sleeping all that well recently." She paused, unsure if she should ask about Piper's nightmares, especially if Jay wasn't there as back up. Erin took a small breath and decided to plow ahead. "I um, I've been having some bad dreams."

The little girl glanced up at her. "You have?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Sometimes things just come back to me when I'm dreaming." Erin took another breath, deciding to probe further. "Do you get that sometimes too?"

Piper stared at her for a minute before giving a small nod. "All the time," she whispered. "I used to wake up a lot during the night, e-especially when I first got to Jay's. I could fall back asleep easy though. But now, after being at Bunny's house they're worse."

Erin wrapped an arm around her sister's tiny form and brought her closer. "I don't like it," Piper murmured against Erin's shoulder, "I don't like waking up scared."

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she said thickly, "And I wish there was something I could do to make it easier for you, I really do. You know that no matter what, day or night, you can always come get me if you're feeling scared, right?"

She nodded and cuddled closer. "It's better when you and Jay are close," she mumbled, "Not as bad."

Erin was quiet for a moment, unsure of what else she could say to make her sister feel better. "I'll always be close," she promised, "And we can try to get through it together, how about that?"

She nodded again and let out a breath. "Are you gonna come back to Jay's? Even after he gets better?"

Erin didn't know what to say. She wanted to return to Jay's with her partner and little sister. She and Jay hadn't yet talked about her abrupt confession of love and what it meant for them, and for Piper, but she knew they needed to have the conversation soon. The little girl was already confused enough by their relationship. "I think so," she said finally, "Just to keep an eye on him, and to make sure he still takes it easy."

Piper cracked a small smile but it quickly dropped off her face when she saw the two policemen deep in discussion in the kitchen. "Do…do you think something bad happened?"

"I'm not sure," Erin said honestly, "But I do know that you and I, and Jay, are all safe here." She glanced over to the kitchen, hoping to pick up on whatever her father figure and partner were discussing. Instead, she saw them heading toward the living room, wearing what she recognized to be both of their 'we have some news' faces.

"What's going on?" she asked as soon as Hank and Jay were in the living room. She glanced to each of them, trying to discern what had happened. Erin instinctively held Piper closer to her. She could feel her sister's heart rate accelerate as the little girl picked up on the impending news. Oh how Erin wished that she could shield her sister from it all, but she knew that it wasn't a possibility. Piper knew too much and was far too smart to be left out of any important conversation regarding the case that she was intricately familiar with.

"Everything's okay," Jay started, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of his girls while Hank stood to the side, "You guys are still safe. Donny and the rest of his people are getting sentenced later today, and we're confident that they're all going to be locked up for a considerable amount of time."

Erin narrowed her eyes. She knew that there was something else on the tip of her partner's tongue.

"What's the bad news?" Piper asked softly, looking worriedly at Jay, "I-I can tell you got bad news."

"It's not bad," Hank interjected lightly, "We identified the person who's at the head of the organization because Donny let it slip in the interrogation. The man who's been in Canada and is responsible for the entire system, from distribution to product movement."

"Who is it?" Erin asked, dread filling her stomach, "This kingpin?"

"Brian Anderson," Jay said carefully, "Also known as Kenny Charlton."

Erin stifled a gasp. "Our dad?"

Hank gave a grim nod. "Looks like it. He's out of the country, and the Feds are on it. But we finally have all the pieces. His involvement is why the Irving's and the Marsh's and Donald Anderson wanted to know Piper."

The little girl was silent as her big sister sucked in a breath. "And they don't know where he is?" Erin asked, "The feds don't have any idea?"

Jay shook his head. "The team's passing over all our files now. He's gone deep underground given that his entire operation around the Midwest has been shut down. We don't have any reason to believe he's a threat to either of you."

"I saw him once," Piper whispered, "I think. When we went close to Canada, with Donny. I-I was supposed to be sleeping in the backseat, but I woke up and I saw him looking at me."

"He can't hurt you," Jay said, reaching out a hand to gently stroke Piper's cheek, "He doesn't have a way of getting back into the country without getting picked up by the Feds. You two are safe."

Erin nodded. "When we finally track down Bunny, I have a whole bunch of questions for her. Not that she'll give a straight answer, but I always wondered how she had all those connections."

"They're working on that too," Hank said gently, "She might be hard to find, given that she's on the hook for endangering a child."

"I don't want to go back to her," Piper choked out, tightening her grip on Erin's arm, "I want to stay with Jay and Erin."

"You are, kiddo," Jay promised, "I also got a text message from Ms. O'Donnell, who said that I'm approved to keep you with me until we hear about next steps from the new judge."

Erin let out another breath. She was so glad that Jay had thought to get licensed to be able to keep Piper even without her being in protective custody. If Piper had needed to go to another household, she wasn't sure they'd ever convince her she was safe again.

"We can head back home later today," Jay continued, addressing Piper, "I was thinking you, me and Erin could visit Dr. Murphy, who we talked about the other day, and then we could grab some lunch before heading back and relaxing a bit." He offered a small smile, "I was going to suggest a trip to the park, but I know I'm supposed to take it easy."

"Erin's coming too?" Piper asked hopefully, "To Dr. Murphy and back home?"

Jay locked eyes with Erin, hoping she was indeed joining them. He hadn't asked but was hoping she'd be able to stay with them knowing just how attached Piper had grown to her big sister. He smiled wider when she nodded, still processing the fact that her biological father was the ringleader of an international drug dealing operation. "That sounds great," she managed, "I gotta keep my promise of keeping an eye on Jay, huh Noodle?"


"You guys are coming with me, right?" Piper asked nervously from the backseat of Jay's car, which Erin was driving. Despite his insistence that he was completely fine to drive and wasn't even taking the pain medication, Erin slid into the driver's seat first.

"Absolutely," Jay confirmed, turning around in the passenger seat to meet her expectant gaze, "We're going to be in the waiting room right outside while you have a nice conversation with Dr. Murphy, and then we're all going to grab some lunch."

"And then we're going to take Jay home for a nap," Erin continued, glancing into the rearview mirror to give Piper a wink, "And while he's napping, you and I can figure out something fun to do. Maybe try out a recipe in Camille's cookbook?"

At that, Piper flashed a small smile and Erin let out a breath in relief. The reassurance that she'd be returning to Jay and Erin was just what her little sister needed. One of the books she was reading that Jay had recommended included a whole chapter on providing structure for kids coming out of difficult situations, and part of that structure was giving the child a plan of what to expect whenever they headed to new places. For someone who'd been moved from house to house at a moment's notice, knowing exactly what the plan was made a huge difference for Piper.

Erin hadn't realized it before, but after she read the chapter, she saw just how frequently Jay provided Piper with the details of what was going to happen next. He was always sure to explain that after a given activity, she would return home with him. He would lay out the steps, and the structure seemed to put her little sister at ease.

Jay Halstead truly was one of a kind.

Erin's heart clenched as she watched Piper grip Jay's hand. She could have sworn the little girl was trembling slightly as Jay led her toward the building where Dr. Andrea Murphy's office was. Erin herself had reached out to Natalie for a recommendation for a good therapist after Jay had mentioned how helpful it had been for him. She wanted someone who was in the Chicago area but not intricately connected with her past life as a police officer. As nice as Dr. Charles was, she needed someone new.

Dr. Kathleen Peterson was helping her scratch the surface of all she'd been through, but they'd barely made a dent. Erin always knew she was riddled with emotional, physical and heck, even spiritual baggage, but the therapist was bringing it all to light, and it was exhausting. She'd made it through two sessions but was had put off the third after Jay got shot.

Her first session had been nerve-wracking, and she knew just how her little sister was feeling. All she wanted to do was wrap her in her arms and tell her just how much better she felt after talking to someone herself, but Erin couldn't do it yet. She was still in the trenches of dealing with her own anxieties and past trauma.

Yet again, Erin found herself feeling grateful for Jay Halstead. As they stood in the elevator, he was softly reminding Piper about their plans. It would be a nice conversation with someone they trusted, and Erin and him would be right outside. Then, Piper would go home with both of them. She wasn't about to be taken away, and she was safe.

His words grounded Erin as well, the resetting of expectations doing wonders for the tightness of her muscles. Piper was safe. She was safe. They were both going home with Jay. Erin let out a soft breath when she caught her partner's gaze. They were both going home with Jay.

The gentle looking middle aged therapist stood outside her office door, kind smile on her lips. "You must be Piper," she said kindly, "My name is Dr. Andrea Murphy, and you can call me Andrea, or Dr. Murphy, or whatever you would prefer."

Piper glanced up at the woman nervously. "Jay Halstead," Jay said, extending his right hand, "We spoke on the phone?"

"Ah yes, Detective Halstead," she replied, smiling again, "Good to meet you in person."

"Would it be alright if we all came in for a few minutes? Just to get Piper settled?" Jay gave a kind smile to the therapist, who nodded.

"That is a great idea," she said, observing just how tightly Piper was clutching the detective's hand, "Why don't you all take a seat on the couch in my office, and we'll get started?"

Piper looked up at Jay, eyes swimming with worry. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and gestured for Erin to follow them into the office.

Erin perched herself on the firm sofa beside Piper. The little girl had yet to release Jay's hand, and was still slightly trembling. Erin wasn't faring much better as she sat up straight, unable to convince her body to relax. She wanted to kick herself for her own body language, knowing full well that Piper was probably picking up on her anxiety. At least Jay was relaxed, she thought, glancing over to her former partner. He had leaned back against the cushion, appearing fully at ease.

"So Piper and I met a little over two months ago," Jay started after the therapist took a seat in the chair across from the couch, "And we've had a really good time getting to know each other." He smiled when Piper gave a small nod of agreement and held his hand tighter. "We found out that Piper's biological mom is also Erin's, and Erin happens to be my old partner."

"Erin is my sister," Piper said proudly, her voice soft, "Jay and her have been taking really good care of me."

Jay beamed at Erin, who appeared ever so slightly surprised that Piper explicitly referred to her while she was feeling nervous and vulnerable. "Piper's been in protective custody with me," he continued, gently rubbing her little hand with his thumb, "And we've been spending a lot of time with Erin too, so they can get to know each other, because we hope that the judge will grant Erin custody."

The little girl leaned into Jay's arm carefully, craving additional comfort in the presence of someone new. "I'm still going home with you, right?" she asked quietly, looking up to meet his eyes.

He nodded and leaned down to press a kiss on top of her head. "Yep. Just like we talked about."

"And Erin's coming too?"

"That's right," he confirmed, "She's still on the hook for keeping an eye out for me." He offered an apologetic smile to the therapist, who was watching the exchange intently. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize," she said, "Piper and I will just have a chat for a few minutes, and you and Erin are welcome to wait right outside. And then afterwards, you can all leave together."

Piper relaxed and turned her head to look for Erin. "We're going to cook while Jay naps?"

It was Erin's turn to smile. "That's the plan. And on our way home, maybe we can stop for a smoothie. I read that berries are full of antioxidants that are good for healing, and I think Jay could use some, what do you think?"

She nodded eagerly and looked over to the therapist. "Jay got shot."

Jay's cheeks darkened when the woman looked slightly surprised. "Wow," the therapist said in an exhale, "You've certainly been through a lot. All three of you." She gestured to Jay with one hand.

He managed a small nod. "We're doing alright. It was a difficult couple of weeks, but late last night we got some good news on some of the main offenders in the case."

"That is a relief to hear," Dr. Murphy nodded, glancing over to Erin, who still appeared slightly on edge on the couch. "Erin, Jay mentioned earlier that the two of you used to be partners. Are you in a different field of work?"

"I um, I work for the FBI," she said after clearing her throat, "Transferred about a year ago."

"That's very impressive. Did you always want to work in law enforcement?"

Erin shook her head. "I…I didn't. When I was fifteen or so I met this cop, uh, who's Jay's boss now actually, and um, he took me in because my mother – our mother – wasn't always around. I lived with him and his family for a few years, and he helped me graduate from high school and get into the police academy." She swallowed as the therapist peered into her soul. "Bunny, our mother, she's also trying to get custody of Piper but her track record isn't great."

Dr. Murphy furrowed her brow slightly as Erin clasped her hands in her lap. "Have you seen or spoken to her recently?"

She shook her head again. "Two weeks ago, she got temporary custody of Piper." Erin's breath hitched, "Last time I saw her was in court."

"Ms. O'Donnell came and got me," Piper whispered, "Because Bunny left me by myself for a bunch of days. And she was doing drugs."

The therapist watched as Jay's eyes darkened and he instinctively leaned closer to the child, as if his physical presence could protect her from the harsh recollection. Erin's eyes were clouded with tears when the little girl put a gentle palm on her sister's arm. "But I know I'm safe with Erin and Jay."

Erin let out a breath and held her sister's hand. "You are safe," she replied, "Jay and I are always going to be there for you, Noodle."

"It must be difficult to see your mother again," Dr. Murphy mused, earning small nods from both Erin and Piper. "The body can experience trauma all over again – both physically and emotionally."

Erin swallowed the lump in her throat. She had been so consumed with how Piper was handling the whole situation with their mother that she didn't realize just how much it could be impacting her as well. She'd spent the last six weeks feeling like she was thirteen again, dealing with the endless onslaught of drama and heartache that her mother seemed to drag along with her wherever she went.

As the therapist continued to explain some of the nuances of trauma and memories, Erin found herself feeling increasingly overwhelmed. Every time she felt like she had a handle on raising Piper, that she could manage the intricacies of raising a child after only just meeting her, suddenly the rug would be swept from under her. Dr. Murphy's words indicated that her helping Piper through her own emotions might raise some memories from her own tumultuous upbringing, things that Erin had attempted to clamp down in the back of her mind forever.

But then she felt Jay's hand on her shoulder. He was telling the therapist about what a good partner she was, and how he knew she'd be great for Piper. He always thought so highly over her, even when she thought the worst of herself.

"Are you alright to have a short conversation with me, Piper?" Dr. Murphy asked, pulling Erin out of her own thoughts, "Jay and Erin will be right outside."

Piper nodded slowly, and Jay gave a proud smile. "We'll be just outside that door, in the chairs we saw when we first came in," he said, "You're safe here."


Jay and Erin sat silently beside each other in the therapist's waiting room, neither sure what to say. They hadn't had much time just the two of them since Jay had been shot or since Erin's emotional confession of love the day prior.

After a few moments, he couldn't wait any longer. "Erin, I-"

He was interrupted by the shrill chime of her cell phone.

"It's my lawyer," Erin said, her palm shaking slightly as she gripped the vibrating cell phone, "C-court isn't for two days I don't know what else-"

"Answer it," Jay advised, "I'll be here if you're still on the phone she comes out." He gave her free hand a light squeeze.

"Hi, Leslie," she managed after squeezing Jay's hand back and standing to take the call in the hallway, "I um, I'm with Piper and Jay we're-"

That was all he heard as his partner disappeared down the hallway. Jay leaned back in the waiting room chair and allowed his mind to wander. After checking his phone to ensure there was no update from Voight or Upton regarding Donny's sentencing, he exhaled heavily. He wanted the bastard behind bars. He wanted Kenny Charlton or Brian Anderson or whatever his name was behind bars as well, but he knew that it was coming soon. The feds would find him, and then he, and Erin and Piper, could all sleep soundly at night.

He thought about what a life could be like if he just picked up and left Chicago. New York wasn't all that different weather wise, and it wasn't like he'd need a new wardrobe. Piper would definitely need a winter coat and some warmer clothes, but she'd need those for Chicago too. He made a mental note to jot it down in the Piper notebook he'd been keeping.

Jay could find something to occupy his time in New York. With Erin busy in her job, he figured he could somehow step in to help with Piper, with her permission of course, so he'd need something relatively flexible. Working security at night wouldn't be too bad, and would give Piper and Erin some time together in the evening. He'd hate to miss out on it, but if he and Erin weren't officially together, it wouldn't be that bad.

But oh, how he wished they could be together for real. He missed Erin, every inch of her body and her heart. He'd never forgotten just how soothing her touch could be, how light her words felt on his ears, how magical her eyes were when they met his. And they loved each other. She loved him, and he loved her. It made sense.

Only, it was complicated. Because of time zones and work schedules and the tiny human who they both loved and cared for. He hated the complication, but at his core and his heart, he couldn't hate it all that much, because that complication was a child who he loved like she was his own. Piper brought him more joy than he ever thought possible, and she also brought him back to Erin.

A smile played on Jay's lips as he leaned back in the chair. He needed to tell Erin all of it when she came back from her phone call. He couldn't hold it in any longer.

Jay turned his head when he heard Erin's footsteps approaching the waiting room door. Instantly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he regarded the woman he loved.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his heart suddenly in his throat.

Erin's hands were shaking as she held her cell phone in her hand. "Bunny signed the document," she said, standing shell shocked in the doorway, "She-she signed away her parental rights. Once the new judge signs off, I'm getting custody of Piper."

Jay just stared at her for a moment, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind. Part of him wanted to get on one knee in that very moment and ask her to spend the rest of their lives together. Another part of him was consumed with sadness at the prospect of Piper leaving, and for the nights that he'd inevitably be spending alone. He was filled with happiness knowing that Piper would be safe, that she would grow up knowing her sister and be really and truly loved. He was relieved for Erin and fully confident that she'd be a good sister-mom, even if she didn't think so yet.

And then he broke into a wide grin. His girl needed him to put aside all the sadness and anxiety and longing to focus on her, and what she and her sister needed. "Erin," he whispered, "She's safe. She's yours."

Tears tumbled down her cheeks before she could stop them as she managed a small nod. "She's mine." A sob burst through her lips and Jay quickly stood to bring her into his chest.

Hot tears damped Jay's t shirt as Erin wept, the weight of the unknown lifted off her shoulders. Piper didn't have to go back to Bunny. Bunny no longer had any sort of legal claim to her, and she could grow up in a safe and loving home. Erin's home.

Erin wept with joy that she was going to get to raise and love on her sister. She wept with heartbreak for all that Piper had endured to reach that point. Her little sister had transitioned in and out of fifteen different homes in her nine short years. She'd been neglected and mistreated and put through the ringer, but she was finally going to have a real home, and family.

And then Erin wept harder, because Jay had given Piper that family. Before he even knew if she was her sister, before he knew the intricacies of her past or the trauma she'd endured, Jay said yes. He said yes to opening his home to a tiny stranger, yes to loving her as hard as he could, knowing full well that she wasn't going to be with him forever. He gave her a bed to sleep in and a hand to hold, and Piper would never forget it. Erin would never forget it, and she'd never be able to thank him enough for saving her sister's life.

"This is the best news," Jay whispered against her hair, carefully running a hand up and down her back as she allowed more tears to creep down her cheeks, "She's going to be so relieved."

"I-I don't want to tell her just yet. Not until the judge signs the paper," Erin sniffed, pulling back slightly from his chest, "Just in case anything happens. I want to be one hundred percent positive."

Jay nodded in agreement before leaning down to press a kiss atop her head. "That's a good call," he said, "Look at you, nailing this parenting thing."

Erin half chuckled-half stifled a sob as she sat back down in the waiting room chair, holding Jay's hand tightly in her own. "I can't believe it," she managed, "I-I wasn't sure this day would ever come."

"I knew it would," Jay replied gently, "The universe knows you and Piper are supposed to end up together, Er."

She nodded, exhaling heavily when Jay sat down beside her. Tears welled in her eyes yet again. "What's wrong?" he asked, running his thumb over the hand she was still holding. He knew those tears, and they weren't tears of relief anymore. Those were tears of her past.

Erin Lindsay was guarded. She kept her cards close to the vest, and she'd erected thick walls around her heart after years of abuse, neglect, trauma, disappointment. As her partner, Jay took it upon himself to slowly chip away at those walls in order to know the woman behind them as best he could, so he could do everything in his power to keep her safe. In their years as partners, Jay grew to recognize the cadence of her breath. He knew instantly when she was mad or frustrated, and he always could tell when she was excited about something. His partner had so many tells that he just picked up on, from the way she rubbed her hand when she was nervous to how she bit the inside of her lip when she was gearing up to tell him something.

Her tears were different too. He could tell just by her eyes, her breath, how her nose was scrunched, if she was thinking about something that had just happened, or if it was a memory.

A delicate tear trickled down her cheek. "If Bunny signed away her right to Piper, it's like she signed away her right to me as well."

Jay drew in a breath. He hadn't thought about it like that, but she was right. If Bunny had the wherewithal to know that her eldest daughter was a better fit to raise her youngest, and had given up all legal claim to her, she must have also known that she was officially severing ties with Erin.

In lieu of words, Jay wiped the tear off her cheek. "I-I feel like I've waited so long for this," she rasped, another tear falling, "She was always in and out of my life, sometimes for short periods and sometimes for long, but I could never seem to close her out. And now, she's done it. She gave her up. She gave both of us up, and it…it feels like for the first time, she's acting in our best interest."

He leaned closer and kissed the top of her head gently. "It's about time."

Erin nodded. "I um, I was telling Hank earlier about this book I was reading, about kids coming from neglect and trauma," she murmured, slowly tracing her finger across his arm, "And it said that um, symptoms and effects can look like extreme levels of self-sufficiency, and always wanting to help, but always thinking that we have to fight battles alone." Erin swallowed, "I-I never really put a name on it, what happened to me growing up, and um, what happened to Piper. But Bunny, and the people that hurt Piper, what they did was neglect. And it's just now that I'm realizing how much it affected me. I mean, even years later, I'm still struggling with it all."

Jay nodded, just listening to his girl as she spoke. He'd read similar books and articles, and had been acutely aware of just how much trauma his girls had been through. He had always known, but hearing her come to the realization was breaking his heart all over again. "It also said that fear of abandonment is really common." Erin took a breath, "I-I think that's why it hurt so much, when you left. Because I had spent all this time convincing myself that you weren't going to leave, b-but then you did."

Tears trickled down his cheeks before he could stop them. "I-I don't want Piper to ever feel like that," she whispered, "I know a lot of it is too late, she's already been through so much, but I owe it to her to never make her feel like she's been abandoned."

He nodded again. His heart was hammering in his chest. It was finally happening. They'd been dancing around it, but with Piper almost certainly going to Erin, it had to be addressed. They were leaving. He didn't know what he was going to do with himself, but he knew Erin had to do what was right for Piper.

"That's why we're staying in Chicago."


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But actually please let me know if you'd like a sequel - I've got a few ideas but want to make sure folks would read and enjoy