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"You alright, babe?" Jay asked as they drove home from the doctor's, Erin's hand intertwined with his, "You've been quiet."

"I'm nervous," she replied honestly, "I-I know Dr. Hsu said things were okay but I just…" She brought a hand to her belly. "I just don't want to fuck him up. Or her."

"You're already a great mom," he reminded her gently, "I have all the confidence in the world in you." Jay gave her hand a light squeeze, "And I'll be there, every step of the way. You're going to get absolutely sick of me."

Erin gave a small smile. "She said my hormones are going pretty much haywire," she replied dryly, "Sorry to say that you might be on the receiving end of all my crazy."

"I love your crazy," Jay insisted, "I love you even when you're yellin' at me." He offered a goofy smile, "Can't scare me off, babe."

"How…how are we going to tell Piper?" she whispered, "I want her to know so she doesn't feel like we're lying to her."

Jay turned into their driveway. "Maybe after Will heads out," he suggested, "I'm sure he's hopped her up on all kinds of sugar and junk food so she'll probably crash early, but maybe we can tell her after dinner?"

Erin let out a breath and unbuckled her seatbelt. "I um, I want to wait to tell Hank. Just in case," she said, "I just…I want him to only get the good news and if something were to happen-"

"I get that," Jay promised, "We can tell him when you're ready."

"Where are they?" Erin asked as they stepped into their air-conditioned home. She was holding tightly to the envelope that contained the baby's sonogram, "It's quiet in here."

Jay wrinkled his brow. "Car's outside," he said after glancing into the living room. "Pipes? Will?" He called up the steps. "Huh. Wonder where they went. Her bike's in the garage too."

"Found them, babe," Erin said, gesturing for her fiancé to join her at the back door to the porch, "Will's got her doing a slip n' slide."

"No way," Jay said, grin forming on his lips, "We used to do this all the time when we were kids." He beamed when he caught sight of his little girl in her bathing suit, giggling hysterically at the dish soap that covered Will from head to toe. "The soap makes the slide insane." He frowned slightly. "Can't believe he did it without me."

"Go join your big brother, babe," Erin teased, "I can send some work emails."

"Really?" Jay's eyes lit up, "You don't want me to stay-"

"Go on." Erin rolled her eyes, "I'll watch from up here."

Erin couldn't keep the smile off her face as she watched her fiancé, ever the overgrown child, race across their backyard in his swim trunks and take a running dive down the slip n' slide. "Jay!" Piper squealed, giggling at just how much soap was covering both Halstead brothers, "Will built a slip n' slide!"

"So I see." Jay grinned at his brother, who had positioned a sprinkler on the edge to ensure maximum slippery-ness of the tarp, "Where'd you get all the supplies?"

"We went to the hardware store," Piper told him seriously, "And we got tarp and soap and a sprinkler."

"Munchkin said you already taught her the Halstead run n' slide," Will said, wiping his face with the back of his hand, "But now that you're here, we gotta show her the flip n' slide."

"You cannot do that," Jay said with a chuckle, "We haven't done that since we were like twelve."

"Not me," Will said, "Piper." He wiggled his fingers toward the little girl. "You ready Munchkin?"

Piper squealed in delight and pretended to hide behind Jay. "You gotta do it first, Will."

"No way, I'm too big," Will countered, "But you are a perfect size. And Jay's strong enough."

Jay laughed as he lifted his slippery little bug into the air and turned her upside down. Piper howled with laughter, and it was all Jay could do not to let tears form behind his eyes. Watching his little girl who had been through so much pain in her short life experience what it was like to be a kid filled his heart.

Erin swallowed the lump in her throat, one hand resting on her belly as she watched the Halstead brothers and her little sister play in the backyard. It was all she ever wanted as a kid – a house to play in, a house full of happy noises like kids squealing and celebrating, a house full of love. And Jay Halstead had given that to her.

"Erin, Erin, check this out!" Piper squealed, taking a running dive down the soapy tarp, "It's so fun!"

Erin grinned. After watching the Halstead brothers and her little sister go down the slip n' slide a countless number of times, she had to go outside to see what all the fun was about. Piper was absolutely ecstatic and was bouncing around the backyard in childlike wonder, which brought tears to her eyes.

Will and Jay were deep in concentration, attempting to adjust the sprinkler to spray more forcefully. Watching the brothers play together like they were kids was equally as heart melting. "You're having fun with the guys, huh?"

Piper nodded. "Are you gonna play too?"

She felt her heart crack. Piper looked so hopeful and absolutely adorable in her little swimsuit, head to toe in bubbles from the soap. The outdoor slip n' slide did look like fun, but she wasn't sure that running and diving on her stomach was such a good idea with a baby growing in her belly. "Erin might get too itchy from the soap," Jay offered, wracking his brain for an excuse as to why his partner couldn't join in on the fun, "But we could do this."

He took the sprinkler and aimed it at Erin, soaking her through. "Jay!" she squealed, doing her best to keep a straight face while Piper dissolved into giggles, "I'm not dressed for a slip n' slide."

Jay continued to taunt Erin with the sprinkler, much to the delight of Piper. "She's running away!" Piper exclaimed, laughing hysterically, "You better get her."

He tossed the sprinkler to his brother before gently wrapping both of his arms around his partner, and the mother of his child. "Gotcha," he breathed into her ear, "You're mine now."

"I've always been yours," she replied huskily, wriggling in his soapy grasp, "Yours forever, babe."

"You are certainly nice and clean after all that soap," Erin teased, pressing a kiss to the top of Piper's damp head after she'd had a shower, "Did you have a fun day with Will?"

"Yes," Piper nodded emphatically, "We had breakfast and did errands and got all the supplies for the slip n' slide. And I had ice cream for lunch."

"Oh my goodness," she chuckled, "Well, I think Jay's preparing some kind of salad dish for dinner so you'll get those greens in anyway."

"It's a little early for dinner," Jay said, glancing down at his watch as he settled on the couch beside Erin, "You had a busy day, huh kiddo?"

Piper gave another nod. "We played outside for so many hours. And Will kept putting sunscreen on me because he said you would get really mad at him if I got sunburned."

Jay grinned. His brother had followed his instructions. Both of his girls were fair-skinned and he was a stickler for sunscreen. Erin gripped his hand, silently letting him know that she wanted them to tell Piper about the baby.

"So uh, kiddo, we have some news for you," Jay said, squeezing Erin's hand tightly, "And it's good news."

Piper looked up at Jay and then to Erin. "Do you remember a couple of months ago, you asked when we would have a baby?" Erin asked tentatively, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, "And we said it might be a little while?"

The little girl nodded slowly. "Well, in about eight months or so, we are going to have a baby," Erin managed, "I'm uh, I'm pregnant."

A wide smile spread across Piper's cheeks and Erin let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Piper was okay. She looked up at her partner in relief, and he squeezed her hand. "It's still going to be a little bit," Jay said, "But that's the reason that Erin's been feeling a little funny since we were up in Wisconsin."

"Wait. I want to give you guys something." Piper jumped off the couch and hurried across the room to a shopping bag. She reached into the bag that she and Will brought back from their outing and passed a wrapped box to Erin before taking a seat in front of her parents on the coffee table. "Will helped me," she explained, shifting slightly in her seat.

Erin raised her eyebrows and peeled back the paper slowly before taking a breath. "Noodle, you caught this on camera?" She held up the framed picture to Jay, which was of Jay on one knee at the top of the mountain, holding Erin's hand in his.

"Keep opening it," Piper instructed, watching nervously as Jay helped peel the rest of the paper off.

They both stared at the image before lifting their gaze to meet Piper's. "I was coming back to tell you guys about the frog," she said softly, "And I saw Jay kissing your stomach and then I just knew."

Tears filled Erin's eyes as she ran her finger over the second image of her partner's lips resting delicately on her belly, moments after she'd told him that he was going to be a dad again. "You knew since Wisconsin?"

Piper nodded slowly. "I knew, and I knew you would tell me when you were ready. Which I'm glad is now, because I couldn't wait to give this to you."

Jay finished tearing off the last of the wrapping, revealing the last photo in the frame. It was a selfie that he took on the crest of the mountain, Erin tucked in his embrace, Piper on his hip. In that moment, he'd never been so happy in his entire life. He was already a dad, but he was going to be a dad again. "It's our first family picture of the four of us," Piper explained, "I'm really, really happy that you guys are having a baby."

Erin sniffed. "You're okay with this?"

She gave an adamant nod. "More than okay," she insisted, "Because I know that your baby is going to be the luckiest baby in the world."

Jay wiped his eye before reaching forward to pull Piper into his arms. She giggled when he peppered her head with kisses. "We might be having a baby," he said, "But you're our baby too. I don't want you to forget that."

Piper grinned as Erin kissed the top of her head. "That's how come I know the baby is going to be the luckiest," she explained, "Because I know you guys are the best parents ever."

"You want to see the baby?" Erin asked, reaching behind her to find the envelope with the sonogram picture, "It's a little fuzzy, and he's only the size of a tiny seed right now."

"It's a boy?" Piper asked excitedly, "Really?"

"We don't know yet," Jay said, pointing to the image, "It was also a bit too soon to hear the heartbeat, but in the next few weeks, we should be able to hear his or her heart beating in Erin's belly."

"Wow," she breathed, "Can the baby hear me?"

Erin exchanged a look with Jay. She wasn't actually sure. "I think so," Jay shrugged, "I was talking to them earlier."

She pushed up her shirt to reveal her stomach. "You wanna say hi, Noodle?"

Piper nodded and put her small hand on her sister's tummy. "Hi baby," she said, running her little fingers across Erin's flat stomach, "Even though you're little, I bet you're going to be very cute." She looked up at her sister, who's eyes were wet with tears. "When does the baby come?"

"Not for about seven or eight months," Erin said, wiping her eyes again. Damn hormones. "We have some time. And actually, you're the first person we told. Well, Will figured it out first. But uh, we're not going to tell anyone else for a little bit because um, in the first few months, sometimes the baby can um-"

"Could have some trouble," Jay supplied, "And we told you before anyone because you and I are going to be gentle with Erin while she's got the baby growing inside her. And once the baby is just a little bit bigger, we'll tell other people, like Hank and stuff."

Piper gave another nod, still rubbing Erin's stomach. "I'm glad you know that I know now," she said, "But I think I still would have figured it out even if I didn't see Jay kissing you, 'cause he's had his hand on your stomach for like three days."

Heat rose in Jay's cheeks when Erin shot him a look. He had had some trouble keeping his hands off his girl as it was, but especially now that she was carrying his unborn child. "Guess I'm not too good at keeping a secret, huh?"

"Better than Will," Piper said, without skipping a beat, "He's the worst. You better make sure he's sworn to secrecy." She gave a smile. "He tried so hard to pretend he didn't know when I told him I knew."

Jay grinned and kissed the top of Piper's head. "You are too smart," Jay said, pulling his phone from his back pocket, "You know what, I should probably call him. Remind him to keep his lips shut. You want to keep an eye on Erin, Pipes?"

Piper nodded. "He's gonna drive you crazy," she said to Erin seriously as soon as Jay was out of earshot, "You're gonna get so grumpy at him."

Erin chuckled and pulled Piper closer to her. "I might be a little grumpy all around for the next few months," she said honestly, "The thing with babies is that they can make these things called hormones in your body, the things that regulate how you're feeling, they can kind of make them go a bit funny. So I might get a little sad or grumpy from time to time just with the baby. But it's not because of you or Jay."

The little girl nodded again. "You're growing a whole other person," she said slowly, "That's amazing. I think me and Jay will understand if you get a little bit grouchy."

"So what's going to happen?" Piper asked as she leaned against Erin's shoulder on their couch after dinner. "If the baby doesn't come for seven or eight months? He just grows inside you?"

Erin nodded, running a hand across her flat stomach. "Yeah uh, soon, my stomach will start to get bigger to make room for the baby. My fingers and ankles are going to swell up, and I'm going to be feeling kind of sick and tired for a bit."

"That doesn't sound good," she said worriedly, "The baby could make you sick?"

"A little," Erin tried, smiling when Jay ran his hand over her head, "My body um, is going to change a lot to make sure that I'm giving the baby what they need to grow. And the baby might be um, a little picky about food. So if I eat something the baby doesn't like, I might get sick."

"Oh," Piper nodded, "But there are some things that you don't like that the baby does. Like pickles."

She paused. She had been craving a pickle, which was odd because she ordinarily hated pickles. And she'd really enjoyed that hamburger Jay made up in Wisconsin that was meant for him. She loved that Piper had picked up on it. "That should have been a dead giveaway," Jay remarked, "Guess I'm not a good a detective as I thought."

Erin snorted. "And um, I know I mentioned that I might be a little grouchy because of the baby," she said, "But uh, I've also been pretty emotional too. Lots of tears." She gave a small smile to Piper, "But it doesn't always mean I'm sad."

Piper let out a breath of relief. "I thought my paper made you really sad," she said, referencing the adorable essay she wrote for school that was now hanging on their fridge, "But it really made you happy?"

She nodded again. "I was so happy I couldn't read it myself. Jay had to read it to me." Erin buried her face in Piper's hair, "You are my favorite little bug in the whole world."

Piper smiled. "But you got a little bug in there too," she said, pointing to Erin's stomach, "That's going to be your favorite."

Erin shook her head adamantly. "No way," she said, almost forcefully, "You're my bug, okay? No matter what, nobody is replacing you." She stroked Piper's cheek gently, "You're special because you're not only my kid, but you're also my sister. Nobody in the world is ever going to be as special as you."

"The baby is a little bean," Jay said, running a hand over Piper's head, "But you're our little bug. And our first kid."

Piper smiled again. "I really love that I have you guys," she said, snuggling closer to Erin, "And I'm really gonna love your little bean."

"I think she took it well," Jay remarked as they laid in bed later that evening. He ran his fingers over Erin's tight belly, "I think it was the best reaction we could have hoped for."

"I can't believe she knew and didn't say anything," Erin mused, relaxing under Jay's gentle touch, "I'm really surprised she didn't absolutely freak out."

"Might have been why she was so scared on that boat," he replied thoughtfully, "I mean, she was petrified. At one point, I think she thought I was going to toss her overboard or something."

"Oh," Erin nodded at the recollection, "She was super clingy after that. I bet you're right." She let out a breath. "Poor little bug. Part of me just wishes she'd let us in sooner rather than going through things herself. If we'd known she knew earlier, we could have helped."

"I know, but she's okay," Jay assured her, "She's strong, and she's pretty excited about the baby." He paused, "Can I tell the baby about Piper?"

Erin raised her eyebrows. "You want to talk…to the baby?"

"So that they know our voices," Jay explained, "I mean, ears aren't developed yet but I don't know. I feel like it's a good thing."

She still looked confused. "And you want to tell the baby… about Piper?"

"Well, she's the most important person in our lives," he said simply, scooting down on the bed so his face was at Erin's stomach, "And I want to tell the baby about my girls."

Erin smiled and lifted the t shirt of Jay's that she'd worn to bed. "Hi baby," he whispered, "It's your dad. And I already love you a lot." He drew a small circle with his finger on Erin's exposed skin. "You have the best mom in the whole world keeping you nice and safe in there. She didn't even do a running dive down the slip n' slide because you're in there all cozy. And we can't wait to meet you, even though it's going to be a while."

She stroked the top of his head as he laid beside her, soft fingers on her belly sending shivers up to her heart. "You're also very lucky to have a big sister aunt too," he continued, "Her name is Piper, and me and your mom are testing out all our parenting skills on her, so you better thank her when you come out."

"There are two very incredible ladies who live here," Jay murmured, "They're both very strong, and they've been through a lot. But we're all going to love you so much and are going to do all we can to keep you safe." He kissed Erin's tummy gently before lifting his gaze to meet hers.

"Can you hear what they're saying back?" Erin tried to joke, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Is she saying that they'll behave themselves and let me sleep tonight?"

"Baby says he makes no promises," Jay reported, offering a cheeky smile, "But the home you've created in there is super comfy, and they're very excited to spend the next few months with their mom."

"What are you doing?" Piper stood in their bedroom doorway, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Jay immediately felt guilty. His voice must have roused Piper. It was a good thing they weren't doing anything else, because that would have been hard to explain to their very perceptive ten year old.

"Sorry, kiddo," he apologized, "I was just talking to the baby."

Piper gave a small smile after she yawned. "What were you talking about?"

"You," he said with a grin, "Telling the baby all about how great you are."

The little girl looked at him curiously. "Me?"

"Of course," Jay replied, "You're an incredible kid, and the most important person in our lives, and we want the baby to know all about you."

At that, the smile widened across Piper's lips. "Really?"

"Really," Erin confirmed, holding her arm out, "You want to come sit with us for a bit?"

Piper nodded and hurried to the bed, climbing in beside her big sister. "Can I talk to the baby too?" she asked softly, "Like Jay?"

"Sure," Erin said, smiling when Piper rested her head on her rib cage gently. She ran her fingers through the little girl's hair, tears clouding her eyes yet again as she watched the two people she loved most stare at her belly.

"Hi baby," Piper whispered, reaching a tentative hand to place on Erin's stomach, "I'm Piper. We met earlier today when Jay and Erin told me about you. Except that I knew before."

Jay shot a grin at Erin. Their little bug was impossibly sweet. "Jay said he was telling you about me," Piper said, "And I bet Erin told you about Jay too, but now I'm going to tell you about our dad."

He felt his heart stop as the words left Piper's lips. Our dad. He held his breath as Piper continued to stroke Erin's tummy. "He really, really likes vegetables," she said, "One time, he found out that I didn't have enough spinach, so he literally gave me spinach every night for a month." She smiled at the memory, "But it's okay, because I love spinach."

Jay felt Erin's hand in his hair as he fought to keep tears back. "He really likes being outside, especially in Wisconsin," Piper said, "And he loves your mom so much, even when she's grouchy at him because you're making her body feel funny."

Erin sniffed and wiped her cheek on her shoulder. "Your mom is my big sister," she whispered, "But she's also my mom too. So she's kind of both our mom. And she's taking really, really good care of both of us."

Erin lay awake in bed, unable to fall asleep. Piper was fast asleep on her chest, and Jay had fallen asleep with an arm wrapped around her legs, his head at her stomach. Listening to both of her loves talk to the unborn baby in her belly had filled her with a love that she didn't know how to process. It was absolutely magical, and she'd never felt so at peace.

She drew in a breath, hoping that she wouldn't rise neither Jay nor Piper. "Hi baby," she whispered, keeping her voice as low as possible, "It uh, might be hard to hear me because you don't have ears yet, but um, I'm your mom."

Her breath caught. "I'm your mom, and I am so excited to meet you. We're uh, going to get to know each other really well over the next couple of months, but you're also going to get to know the two people who were talking to you earlier." Erin swallowed, "They're my whole entire world."

She ran her fingers through Piper's hair as the little girl snoozed against her, and stroked Jay's scruffy cheek. "You met your dad a few days ago, but today, you got to meet Piper. And you're my baby, but she's my first baby, and I love her so much. She's going to be there for you when you grow up, just like I should have been there for her."

Jay grimaced when Erin scrambled out of bed yet again. His girl was positively overcome with morning sickness, and it didn't seem to be specific to the morning. "Sorry, baby," he whispered, gathering Erin's hair off the back of her neck, "I know it sucks."

Erin lifted a shaky hand to flush the toilet. "I know it's part of the deal," she mumbled, tilting her gaze to meet his, "Just wish this part would end."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "What can I do?"

"Maybe some water," she rasped, leaning her head forward into the toilet bowl again, "Or-"

He frowned. "Maybe some ginger ale," he suggested, "I'll be right back."

Jay hurried back up the steps. It had been four days since their first doctor's appointment, and Erin had been sick every morning since. She'd managed to muscle through work but was feeling incredibly fatigued and overall sick. He absolutely hated to see his girl suffering, even though it meant that they were having a baby.

He paused in the doorway to their bathroom when he caught sight of his little girl sitting beside Erin, rubbing her back gently. Jay smiled. He was so glad that they'd been able to tell Piper, and that she took the news well. Well really, Piper had known all along, but actually knowing that she knew made things a whole lot easier. "The baby is making Erin sick," Piper whispered, carefully stroking her sister's hair back, "Her stomach is really upset again."

"Yeah," Jay frowned and sank down beside his girls, "Nausea isn't any better, babe?"

Erin coughed. "No," she choked out, "The bathroom is spinning and-" She retched again.

"Sorry Erin," Piper whispered, lifting a damp washcloth to the back of Erin's neck, "It's okay."

"That feels good," Erin managed, letting out a breath when she finished, "The cold is good."

Piper tenderly wiped sister's neck and lips. "When I had the concussion, this is how you helped me feel better," she explained softly, "I don't like seeing you feeling sick."

"Thank you, Noodle," Erin whispered, leaning back against the bathroom wall. She accepted the glass of water from Jay with a shaky hand, "Only for a few months, and then it should get better."

"Months?" Piper winkled her brow, "You're going to be feeling sick for months?"

"Weeks, hopefully," Jay tried, stroking Erin's cheek gently, "You've still got some time before work, babe. Do you want to lie down?"

Erin took a tentative sip of the water. "Yeah," she whispered, "I um, I might call out today, I just-" She held her breath, hoping the wave of nausea would pass, "I just can't function right now."

Jay nodded. His phone buzzed on the bathroom counter and he quickly grabbed it. "Crime scene?" Erin asked knowingly. "Go," she instructed when he looked disappointed, "I'll be okay."

"I'll stay with Erin," Piper said quickly, "So you can go to work and I can make sure she's resting."

Jay smiled. He hated to leave his girls, but he felt a bit better knowing that Piper was going to be around to help with Erin. "You sure?"

"Go," Erin repeated, "Just come home, okay?"

"Of course." Jay dropped a kiss on both of their heads. "I'm going to head out, but I'll be back around lunchtime to check on you, sound good?"

Little comfort up next and just a whooooole lotta sweetness to fulfill some of requests :)