I gotta say, this is one of my favorite chapters. I promise it's sweet :)

"Oh no you don't," Erin admonished, grabbing the axe from Jay's hand as he lifted it from the fireplace, "You've got two cracked ribs, Halstead. You're not swingin' this thing around."

"We need firewood," he protested, gesturing to the small pile by the roaring fire, "It's still chilly in this place, and you're shivering." He put his hand back on the axe in an attempt to take it back, "Plus I've been resting for three days up here, and the air has helped. I'm feeling better."

The fresh country air really had helped. After three days, Piper was already faring much better than she had been in Chicago, and even spent a night in bed by herself without waking up from any nightmares. Consequently, Erin got the best night sleep she'd had in weeks, and she too was feeling much better. Their days hadn't been much different than they had been in Chicago – mostly snoozing on the couch in between meals – but there was something about being away from it all that was healing for all of them.

"Nuh-uh," Erin shook her head, tugging the axe closer to herself. "We're not taking any chances up here, babe. We're at least an hour from the emergency room. You can walk me through it, but you're not swinging an axe."

"You're going to do it?" Jay widened his eyes in surprise, and Erin put her hand on her hip.

"Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't chop wood, Jay."

"I didn't mean it like that," he rushed out, "It's just that-"

"What? Spit it out," she insisted, "What makes you think I can't do it?"

"It's not that you can't do it," Jay said carefully, "I just don't want you to hurt yourself. Erin Lindsay, swinging an axe around?" He shook his head.

Erin narrowed her gaze. "If I didn't love you I'd be swinging this axe at your thick skull," she quipped, "Talk me through it and watch me prove you wrong."

Jay sucked in a breath as he watched Erin take the first swing at a log. He'd given her the clear protective glasses to keep her eyes safe and was wearing a pair of her sunglasses for his own safety, while also standing a few feet back. His girl was nothing if not determined, and he didn't want to be the unfortunate recipient of an axe to the leg. He'd demonstrated the motions and at her assurance that she could handle it, stepped back.

"Nice one," he praised after Erin cracked a log in half, "Great job, babe."

"This is almost as fun as shooting guns," Erin said, cracking another log in two, "Been way too long since I kicked your ass at something."

Jay rolled his eyes. "I won last time we were at the range," he insisted, "I'd be more than happy to take your money."

"Apparently Piper's a better shot than you, according to Hailey," Erin remarked, "She took her to laser tag while you were undercover. Started calling her Sniper she was so good."

"I can handle two Lindsay's," Jay countered, puffing his chest out slightly.

"Look at that one!" Erin squealed, gesturing to a perfectly cut piece of firewood, "It's symmetrical."

He chuckled. "You're a regular mountain woman, Er." He tilted his head to the side, "Gotta say, this is really doin' it for me. My girl, choppin' wood."

Erin set the axe down and put a hand on her hip. "Is it?" She bit her lip and pointed to her protective eyewear, "These sexy protective glasses are turning you on?"

Jay nodded with a smirk. "For me it's the fact that you've got woman's sunglasses on and you're keeping your distance like a fraidy-cat," she teased. She cast a glance into the cabin window, "I bet Piper's still napping."

A boyish grin spread across Jay's lips. "Really?"

"I'll be gentle," she promised, "Axe not included." Erin laughed at her boyfriend's excited expression, "Let's just take this wood inside first."

"Wait, babe-"

"Shit," she hissed, dropping the pieces she'd collected, "Ow."

"You gotta wear the gloves to carry the wood, otherwise you'll get splinters." Jay gestured to the pair of large gloves resting on the window sill beside the pile of logs for firewood, "Sorry, Er."

"You coulda warned me," she bemoaned, glancing down at her bare palms, "Splinters really killed the mood."

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up," he said, gesturing to the cabin door, "I'll carry the firewood."

Erin sulked inside while Jay dropped the wood she chopped by the fireplace. "Let me see," he insisted, holding out his palm to take Erin's after shedding the gloves, "Looks like you've got a few splinters in there."

"Uh," she moaned, "Take 'em out."

"I will, I will," he promised, "I'm going to have you take a seat up here, and I'm going to grab some tweezers." He patted the kitchen counter.

Erin watched intently as her boyfriend carefully and methodically picked the splinters out of her palms. His glasses rested on his nose as he pulled out the tiny shards of wood from her hands. "I used to get splinters all the time," he mused, "Will and I tried to build a treehouse up here once, and I swear my mom spent a whole afternoon pickin' these little bastards out of our hands."

She winced when he pulled a larger shard out. "Sorry, babe," he whispered, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her palm, "Almost there."

"What happened to Erin?" Piper asked softly, rubbing her eyes as she padded down the steps. Early April in Wisconsin was still cold, and the little girl was wrapped up in her big sister's sweatshirt.

"Erin got some splinters from picking up the firewood," Jay informed her, picking out another splinter from his girlfriend's palm, "But we're almost done here."

Piper gave a small yawn. "I think I'm gonna lie down again," she told them, rubbing her eyes again, "I'm still sleepy, and I know Erin's 'bout to give you googly eyes." She pointed to her eyes when Jay looked at her in surprise. "You're wearing your glasses."

"Noodle!" Erin called after Piper as she turned up the steps, "Wait-"

"It's fine, I know it's important to make time for romance," she replied, waving her hand flippantly as she headed up the stairs, "I can't hear anything with the heater on."

"Good god," Erin brought the hand that was splinter free to her face, "Am I really that obvious?"

"Yes," Jay chuckled, pulling the last splinter out of her other hand, "It's fine. Our kid knows it's important to make time for romance."

"Hey Pipes." Jay smiled at the little girl as she shuffled over to him in the kitchen, "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Uh-huh," she exhaled, relaxing when Jay effortlessly boosted her into his arms to hold her close, "I feel a lot better up here." She rested her head on his shoulder, "My head doesn't hurt right now."

"I'm so glad." He kissed the top of her head. The days spent in Wisconsin were healing for all of them. His ribs no longer ached at each breath and he could tell that his little girl had turned a corner. The nausea was fortunately gone, and her headaches were less constant. If his medical leave hadn't been ending that week, he would have kept his girls up there with him forever. "Erin's still napping, actually. She fell asleep on the couch." Jay pointed to the couch where Erin was sprawled and Piper giggled.

"Her mouth is open," Piper whispered, "And she's snoring."

"I know," he chuckled, "She's really out. Making good use of April break."

Piper paused. "If it's April break, doesn't that mean it's almost Erin's birthday?"

Jay swallowed. His little girl had a good memory. "It is. Tomorrow actually."

"But she doesn't like her birthday," Piper mused, "Right? 'cause of her friend?"

He nodded. Erin had explained part of the Nadia situation after Bunny tried to use it to undermine Erin's ability to raise Piper. The little girl understood that it had been a very difficult part of her big sister's life, but she also knew it was a turning point in Jay and Erin's relationship. They'd done their best to be honest about the situation, and when he'd casually mentioned Erin's birthday a few weeks back and Erin panicked, they sat down and explained some of the events that transpired, leaving out some of the more gruesome details. "Yeah uh, Erin doesn't really like to celebrate it. It's a hard day for her."

"I don't want her to be sad," she murmured against his shoulder, "I don't like seeing Erin upset."

"Me either," he agreed, "Maybe instead of celebrating her birthday, we just do something simple to make her feel good." He thought for a few moments. "Erin used to do this thing where she put a whole bunch of muck on her face and said it felt really good. A facial. What about that?"

Piper nodded. "We can find a recipe," she informed him, "Me and Erin were gonna do those while you were gone, but we were too sad."

Jay's breath caught. "I think this could be a good way to take her mind off everything," he determined, "A fun low-key surprise."

He could tell that his girl was doing her best to be upbeat for Piper's sake, but he knew his partner, and he knew she was struggling. It had been four years since Nadia, and each year it still stung. Jay held her close while the nightmares descended in waves, the usual calm of the Wisconsin air unsuccessful in stopping the bad dreams.

Jay saw tears spring to her eyes when he brought up facials, but Erin agreed. He had Piper had done some pretty extensive research, and laid out towels in front of the fire, cut up cucumbers to put over their eyes and made the facial paste using bananas which were supposed to be good for the skin.

"I can't believe you convinced Jay to do a facial too, Noodle," Erin mused as she laid on the plush carpet in front of the crackling fire, "I don't think I've ever managed to convince him."

"I thought you could tell him to do anything," Piper said in surprise, placing two cucumber slices over her sister's eyes, "I'm pretty sure Jay does everything you tell him."

Erin heard her partner snort from the kitchen. He had to admit that the face mask did feel good, even though it was crusty in the places he'd missed shaving. "I even tried one time," Erin recalled, "Jay and I weren't dating yet, but he came over with some excuse to see me, and Nadia and I were doing these face masks." She smiled wistfully, "I told him if he wanted to stay, he could do a face mask but he made up another excuse."

"Nadia never let me forget that," Jay informed her as he took a seat beside his girl on the warm towels, "But she told me that she'd always be down to be an excuse for me to see you."

"Is that why you let her borrow your car so much?" Erin asked, removing one cucumber slice to look at Jay incredulously, "Just so I'd have to stop by your place?"

"Guilty," Jay grinned, "She just wanted you to be happy, babe. At least, that's what she told me."

Erin managed a small smile. "Jay loves to come up with excuses just to see you," Piper said knowingly, "He used to use me as an excuse whole bunch before you guys were dating."

"Pipes!" Jay exclaimed, "I did not."

"Please," she shook her head, "I knew you wanted me to get to know my sister, but I also knew you wanted to hang out with her too."

"Thank you for today," Erin whispered, still lounging on the floor by the fire, this time with Jay wrapped around her. They'd put Piper to bed upstairs a few hours before and were just enjoying the time together. "It was just what I needed."

Jay pressed a kiss to her hair. "It's a hard day. I get it."

Erin swallowed. "I miss her," she said softly, "She was like a little sister to me." Her breath caught. "And sometimes, Piper does things that remind me of her. Like the way she puts her little hands on her hips." She smiled wistfully. "I wish Piper could have met her."

He nodded. "She used to tease me about you, all the time," he said with a light chuckle. "Just like Pipes, actually. She'd say stuff like 'Halstead, when are you going to work up the stones to ask her out on a real date?'"

Erin sniffed slightly. "Maybe Nadia sent her to us," she whispered, squeezing her hand tightly, "The push we needed to get back together."

"I bet she did," Jay mused, his voice thick, "Our little bug." He drew in a breath as Erin cuddled against him, pulling his arms tighter around her.

After a few moments, he kissed her shoulder and sat up slightly. "I know you don't love your birthday," he murmured, stroking Erin's cheek gently, "And you said you didn't want anything, but I couldn't stop myself."

Erin turned in his arms and glanced down at the small box in her partner's hand. Her pulse immediately quickened. Could this be it?

"Babe, you didn't have to-"

"I couldn't not," Jay said softly, carefully opening the small box. The flames of the fire danced across the circular pendant, a simple silver circle on a chain, tiny diamonds on the edge. He removed the necklace to hold it in his fingers.

Erin sucked in a breath. It was perfect for her – elegant and simple. But it wasn't a ring. She swallowed. "It's beautiful, Jay."

"Hard to find jewelry nice enough for the most gorgeous girl in the world," he mused, brushing her hair aside to drape the necklace over her neck, "But this jumped out at me."

She felt the pendant with her fingers, Jay's warm breath on the back of her neck. Erin wrinkled her brow when she felt engraving on the back. "What does it say?" she breathed, squinting down at the tiny words.

"My angel," Jay whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of her neck. "Because you are my angel."

Tears filled her eyes as Jay's scruffy cheeks tickled her neck. "I love it," she choked out, "It's perfect."

"Happy birthday, beautiful," he mumbled against her lips, "I love you."

"Poor little bug," Erin mused, gesturing to the baby monitor as she climbed out of their bed, "It's like the second we get back from Wisconsin the nightmares start up again."

Jay grimaced and shed the sheets as well. While they were up in Wisconsin, Piper slept incredibly well. Originally, he would have chalked it up to just not being able to hear her since they slept on different floors, but with the baby monitor, he knew that Piper had actually been sleeping throughout the night. "Wish I could transport the fresh air down here," he muttered, trailing after Erin as she headed across the hall, "I wonder if that's what does it."

She was about to open her mouth to reply but was cut off by a desperate wail. "Jay!" Piper cried, "Jay!"

Erin immediately opened the door for Jay to enter first. "Hey, hey, I'm here," Jay soothed, entering the bedroom with his hands out in front of him, "It's Jay, kiddo. You're okay."

Piper let out a strangled cry before barreling into his chest with a sob. "Shh," he cooed, stroking her back gently, "You're safe, Pipes."

She whimpered, her small form trembling in his arms. "I saw him," she hiccupped, "I saw him shoot you."

Jay frowned. He'd honestly been hoping that Piper didn't remember much of their time in the abandoned warehouse, and that the last moments before the building exploded weren't prefaced by him nearly killing Dylan Pugliese, and Pugliese nearly killing him. But she did remember, and it was plaguing her dreams.

"He didn't get me," Jay said thickly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "I know it was really scary, but he can't get you now. You, me and Erin are all safe."

Dylan Pugliese was sentenced for ten to fifteen in a maximum security prison. The trial had been quick, and his written testimony was enough to put the man who'd put both of his girls through unimaginable pain behind bars. He was so glad that they were safe.

Piper let out a shaky breath and ran her fingers over Jay's shoulder, where the bullet had just missed. "When he tried to shoot you, I wished that I stabbed him harder," she whispered shamefully, "I-I never wanted to kill somebody before." Her breath caught. "You didn't kill him. But I wanted to, and that's what bad people do."

Jay glanced to the doorway, hoping Erin was there. His partner was standing in the dim hallway light nervously. Neither of them had planned to talk to Piper about killing and death, at least until she was older, but their little bug had seen so much. "It's natural to feel angry," Jay started, holding one arm out for Erin to join them. "When somebody hurts you, it can feel like you want to hurt them back."

"Or if they hurt someone you love," Erin continued, "You saw Jay being hurt, and your reaction, to save both of your lives, was the right one." She drew in a small breath. "Sometimes, in order to protect yourself, you have to do things you wouldn't normally do. It doesn't mean you're a bad person, it just means you did what you had to do."

Jay nodded. "At work, sometimes there are people who want to hurt the police," he said carefully, "And when they attack us first, or we fear for our lives, we have to do what we have to do. It doesn't feel right sometimes, but we have to. And when Dylan was on the other end of the gun, I didn't shoot him, because I wasn't in danger. I knew he'd already been hurt. But if he had another gun or tried to hurt me, I might have had to shoot him."

Piper swallowed. "Because we were in danger, it was okay?"

Erin and Jay both nodded. "You did the right thing," Erin assured her, "You are a brilliant little bug."

"I was so proud of you," Jay said thickly, "I'm always proud of you, because you're an incredible kid, but I was extra proud of you for thinking so quickly on your feet. I bet you would make a great detective."

Piper managed a tiny smile. "Really?"

"Oh yeah," Erin nodded, threading her fingers through her hair, "It's in your genes, Noodle."

"I don't want to go to school," Piper mumbled against Jay's neck as he carried her into their kitchen. They'd gotten confirmation from Dr. Manning that Piper could start on some light activity, which involved going back to school part time, a few days a week. He and Erin didn't want their little bug to fall too far behind in school, but they were also concerned about her sweet head.

Piper was teeming with anxiety following the conversation in the hospital and subsequently refused to release her hold around Jay's neck. He'd ended up sitting in the back of the car, little girl on his lap, while Erin drove them home.

"It wouldn't be all day," Erin soothed, stroking Piper's back gently as she clung to Jay, "Just a few hours in the morning, and then I'll pick you up, and take you home for a nap." She gave a small smile, "We don't want you to push it too hard."

"I just wanna stay with you and Jay," Piper whimpered, "I don't wanna not see you."

Erin felt her heart crack. She exchanged a sad look with her partner, who gave a small nod. "I know, sweetheart," she said, tucking some of Piper's hair behind her ear, "But Jay's going back to the district on Monday and-"

"What?" Piper pulled back from Jay in alarm, "I-I thought you were going to be safe."

"I am," he assured her, "I'm on desk duty for the next few weeks. Ribs can take a while to heal, so it'll probably be a month or so before I'm back to full duty."

"I-I don't want you goin' back," Piper begged, "You gotta stay safe."

Jay opened his mouth to reply, but closed it. Piper had clearly been traumatized by his past injuries on the job, and unfortunately had a front row seat to the ways a job could go wrong, particularly an undercover assignment.

"I know it's scary," Erin interjected, rubbing Piper's back gently, "But remember, Jay is really good at his job. And that job is to keep the city safe, and sometimes, it can be a bit dangerous for him. But Jay's smart, and he's got a really good team of people backing him up."

"And I'm not doing big undercover assignments anymore," Jay promised, pressing a kiss to Piper's head, "I'm just doing my regular job in Intelligence."

"But I don't want you to die," Piper choked out, "I-I saw Erin when you were gone and she was so sad and I don't want her to be sad if something happens to you."

Both Erin and Jay's hearts melted. Their little bug loved both of them so much, and realized just how much they loved each other. "I love every part of Jay," Erin said carefully, "I love that he's a good cook, and that he can be silly, and that he likes to read books. But I also love that he loves us so much that he wants to protect the city where we live." She rubbed Jay's shoulder with one hand. "I love Jay so much and if anything happened to him, I would be sad. But that's how it's supposed to be when you love someone. You can love them so hard it hurts when they're not around. But it just makes the time together that much better."

Piper sniffed. "I love you, Pipes," Jay murmured, "And I love Erin. And I would do anything to keep my girls safe and part of that is doing my job at work. But I also know to be careful, and every day, I promise I'll do my best to come home."

The little girl held tighter. "I love you guys," she whispered, "I just want you to be safe, 'cause I never wanna go back to not having you."

"Hey Noodle, what's this about a science project?" Erin asked, glancing up from her email, "Griffin's mom sent me an email, she said you were invited to his house to work on the project after school one day this week?"

After nearly three full weeks home from school, Piper finally was able to go back to class in mid-April. Jay and Erin decided that half days to start would be best, and with Jay sidelined for another four weeks while his ribs healed, he was more than happy to pick his little girl up early from school and bring her to work with him. They'd managed to transition to three full days a week and so far, their little bug was doing well. There had been no reports from the principal's office and Piper seemed to be enjoying school again. She still had lingering headaches, especially after long days, but was now sleeping through the night several times a week, a huge improvement over the last few months when she'd wake every single night.

They'd also made it a priority to get Piper in to see her therapist, Dr. Murphy, and both Jay and Erin made it a point to see theirs as well. Jay recognized that he needed to talk through why he felt such a need to go on the assignment in the first place, and Erin was looking to stay on top of all the emotions she was feeling, from motherhood to guilt to 'why won't he hurry up and ask me to marry him yet'.

Things were better and despite the drama, Erin felt like her relationship with Piper had never been stronger. Her little sister continued to want to be close to her whenever she could and it warmed her heart every time. Her relationship with Jay was also standing strong, having withstood the test of the undercover assignment and all the emotions tied to it. Their family was healing, and Erin was grateful for some normalcy.

Both Jay and Piper immediately stiffened at the mention of the science project – Piper because she didn't want to go to another house, and Jay because Erin said Griffin. A boy. "I-I don't want to go," Piper said quickly, "I don't know Griffin's mom."

Erin immediately recognized where she'd gone wrong. She shouldn't have led with the fact that her little sister was invited to another child's house. "I just meant about the project," she said softly, "You guys got partnered up?"

Piper nodded slowly, eyes full of worry. "Well, what if he came here instead?" Erin offered, "Maybe after school one day? You guys could work on your project here."

She wrinkled her brow. "But we usually go to the district after school," she said, "I-I didn't want to go to his house."

"That's okay," Jay said quickly. If he was being honest, he didn't want his little girl at a little boy's house either, even if his mother was going to be there for supervision. Piper wasn't yet ten, but he certainly wasn't about to let his guard down about her. "We can have him here. I can pick you guys up from school, and then Griffin's mom can come get him when you finish up the project." He offered a smile to his partner, "I can handle it."

"Hi sweetheart," Erin waved to the little girl who was intently focused on a potato, "How's it going?" She made a point to wrap up her day early so she could come home to meet Griffin's mom when she came to pick her son up. Jay had texted that pick up went smoothly and that the kids were working at the kitchen table while he prepared dinner. She was so proud of her little sister for handling her first friend so well.

"Good," Piper looked up and gave a smile, "We're making a potato battery."

"Wow," she mused, stroking Piper's hair back before planting a kiss atop her head. "Hi Griffin. I'm Erin. It's nice to meet you."

Griffin gave a smile. "Hi," he said softly, "We almost got it."

"Awesome. Jay gave you guys a snack, right?" She looked down at the empty plates with traces of peanut butter, celery and Cheez Its crumbs.

Piper nodded. "He's makin' dinner now," she said, gesturing to the kitchen where Jay was at the stove, his back turned. "Some kind of special pasta he said you would like."

"Mm, I'll leave you guys to it then," Erin smiled, "I'll just be in the kitchen with Jay. Holler if you need us." She padded over to the kitchen and ran a hand across Jay's back. "Hey, babe."

"Hi," he replied, tilting his head down for Erin to kiss his cheek, "How was work?"

"Work was work," she shrugged, "How's it going in here?" She wrinkled her brow when she saw his phone propped up against the salt and pepper shakers, "What are you watching?"

Jay gestured wordlessly behind him, and Erin turned. Piper and Griffin were still seated at the kitchen table, working on their project. She turned back and realized that Jay had moved the baby monitor they kept in Piper's room to catch any nightmares to the cabinet against the wall where Erin's growing collection of scented candles was stored, which happened to have a direct line of sight to both Piper and Griffin. "Babe," she rolled her eyes, "They're in fifth grade. It's a playdate."

"Operative word being date," he replied dryly, "Was trying not to be obvious about it."

"Easy there, dad," she quipped, placing her hand on his far hip, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Been tryin' to talk myself down all afternoon." Jay let out a breath. "I feel like I owe Hank an apology letter. Maybe a bottle of whisky. Definitely a few beers if I put him through this as well."

She chuckled and pressed her nose against his shoulder. "He made it out alive," she assured him, "And he likes you now."

"Tolerates," Jay insisted, "He tolerates me. Not that I blame him." He looked down at his girl, "I can't believe you put him through that."

"Come help me upstairs for a sec," Erin said, tugging his arm gently, "You zipped me into this dress today, and I can't reach."

"Oh yeah, how'd the presentation go?" He asked, realizing that the reason his girl was more particularly dressed up was due to a big presentation that she had. The black power suit had been at the dry cleaner, and she had to settle for her least favorite work attire. "You do look smokin' hot in that dress."

"Funding secured," she said, patting his chest lightly, "C'mon, I want to put a sweatshirt on and I need your help." Erin glanced into the kitchen, "We'll be right back, Noodle. Just upstairs."

"Okay," Piper called, not taking her eyes off the potato battery, "We're almost done, I think."

"Okay so you secured the funding, what else happened today?" Jay asked, carefully unzipping his partner's dress, "Those douchebags who work for you still giving you a hard time? Green and what's his name?"

"Warner," Erin supplied, pulling a sweatshirt on over her head after she slipped the dress off her shoulders, "Diane takes care of both of them. No trouble."

"Good," Jay blew out a breath, "I hate the idea of other guys ogling at my girl."

"Jay," Erin rolled her eyes, "I swear, Piper's made you worse than a guard dog."

"You were the one who said you'd kill that lawyer if she so much as looked at me," he exclaimed, "I think I'm entitled to be a little bit possessive."

"A little bit?" Erin gestured to her partner's phone that was resting on her dresser, still playing the live footage of Piper and Griffin at the kitchen table, "You've got live surveillance in our own home."

"And more on the way," Jay replied seriously, "Found out you can get these bad boys in every room. No guy is ever going to stand a chance."

"Where'd your parents go?" Griffin asked, glancing into the kitchen to see if Jay and Erin were still in there, "The directions say we need an adult to turn it on."

"See? He's a good kid," Erin pointed to Jay's phone, "You don't need to worry."

Jay let out a breath when Erin kissed his neck and watched as Piper wrinkled her brow. "They'll come back in a bit. We can wait." She leaned back in her chair, "Probably upstairs makin' googly eyes at each other."

Erin nearly choked. "What's that?" Griffin asked, "Googly eyes?"

Piper shrugged, and Jay held his breath. "I don't know really. I just know that Erin's eyes get all buggy sometimes when she gets home while Jay's makin' dinner. And he gives 'em to her too, but I know it just means they love each other."

Jay snorted and kissed Erin's cheek. "Googly eyes, huh?"

"Shut up," she retorted, patting his chest lightly, "C'mon, they still need adult supervision to turn on the potato, and Griffin's mom is probably on her way."

Erin glanced down at Jay's phone that was still resting on her dresser. He'd forgotten it upstairs after they'd hurried down to assist with the potato battery. It had been so weird, but so…normal to interact with another parent. Griffin's mother had been incredibly complimentary of their home, and of Piper, and both Jay and Erin were beside themselves with pride.

Jay and Piper were setting the table for dinner while she took her make up off, the pasta Jay created simmering on the stove. "So Griffin's nice," he said, attempting to be casual, "Is he your best friend?"

She rolled her eyes at how hard her partner was trying to appear cool. Piper hadn't picked up on just how protective Jay was being, and Erin was glad. She didn't want her sister getting any crazy ideas.

Piper shrugged her shoulders. "I never really had friends at school before, 'cause I moved so much," she said, thinking for a few moments, "I would go somewhere, and then I would have to leave. Even when I was livin' with Donny or the Marsh's which was for a longer time, I still changed schools at least once."

Erin's chest ached. Her little sister had been through so much, and she was constantly reminded of it through the bits and pieces that she casually dropped in conversation. She watched the video as Jay swallowed the lump in his throat. "I see," he said, "Well, it's good to have friends."

Piper nodded and put the last fork down on the kitchen table. "You were the first friend I ever had," she said thoughtfully, glancing up at Jay, "So I guess you're my best friend."

Erin's heart melted as she watched Jay's face light up over the baby monitor. "I'm your best friend?" he said, his voice edging on surprise, "Really?"

The little girl nodded seriously and giggled when he boosted her into his arms. "You're my best friend too," he whispered, peppering her forehead with kisses, "The best friend I've ever had."

I wrote this last bit and forgot about it, and when I went to do edits I read it again and melted. I hope you liked it!

Aaaaand I'm still playing with a few ideas for a potential third story. I can't decide right now between a long epilogue or a chapter story but it was great to see that people are interested in me continuing with these characters. I super appreciate your support and comments.