Before we jump in, I got a question about requests that I wanted to address super quick! So the way I write (and obvs everyone is different) but I frame out big chunks of the story and then fill in with some requests - so if you haven't seen yours yet, chances are it's coming. Also why this series has made it to 103 total chapters haha Thank you again for sticking with me and keeping me inspired, I hope you like it!

Jay knocked lightly on Piper's bedroom door, "Hey, uh-"

"Shh," Hailey whispered, gesturing to the snoozing little girl in her lap, "She's out."

He smiled. His little bug was cuddled against his partner, sleeping soundly. "Oh, that's real cute. Babe, look."

Erin poked her head into the bedroom and grinned. "So cute," she confirmed, "She's the sweetest little thing."

Hailey nodded in agreement. "She really loves you guys," she said softly, stroking Piper's hair, "Certainly is the sweetest."

"We uh, we're going to head to the district," Jay said carefully, "I texted Will to see if he could come by since I know you've gotta get back."

She nodded again. "I'd stay if I could," she offered, "I did promise another trip to the trampoline park once she's feeling better. Started getting a little wheezy before she dozed off."

Piper stirred slightly. "We're leavin'?"

"Just for a bit, but you're going to stay here and maybe take a nap," he said, "And Erin and I will be back soon. Will's going to stop by to stay with you."

The little girl widened her eyes. "Are you going to see Kenny?"

Erin and Jay gave simultaneous nods. "We'll be home very soon," Erin promised, resting a hand on her belly, "I'll probably take a nap with you later too."

"I want to see him too," Piper said, lifting her head Hailey's shoulder, "I want to come."

Jay and Erin exchanged a look. "Noodle-"

"It'll be the last time I ever have to see him," she insisted with a cough, "I want him to have to remember what he did to me when he's in jail." Piper coughed again.

Erin looked to Jay again. "Sweetheart, you're still sick, and-"

"Please," Piper begged, "Seeing him locked up will help me feel safe." She looked at Jay pleadingly. "I can do it. I'm ten."

"You are ten," Jay managed, "But we're responsible for keeping you safe and we don't want to do anything that would make you nervous or scared."

"I'm not scared when I have you guys," she promised, "I can do it."

He looked at Erin, who gave a small nod. "My girls are really strong, huh?" he said, forcing a smile. All three of the ladies in his life nodded seriously. "Okay then," Jay swallowed, "Pipes, can we get you into some comfy clothes for a quick trip to the district?"

Erin frowned when a cough rattled Piper's small frame. The little girl was holding her hand as they crossed the district parking lot. "I'm not sure about this," she murmured to Jay, "She's wheezing, babe."

Jay grimaced. "Can I give you a lift, Pipes?" he offered, holding his arms out, "It's not so easy to breathe yet, huh?"

Piper gratefully accepted the boost into his arms. "My chest is just tight," she replied, holding tightly to his neck, "But it's so much better than before."

He smoothed some of her hair back as Erin pulled open the back door to the roll-up. "It'll be quick," he said, "Hank's dealing with something but I gave him a head's up that this is happening, and then we'll all go home, okay?"

Erin nodded and rubbed Piper's back gently. Her little bug was breathing better after being close to Jay. "We can do this," she promised him, giving her partner a grateful look, "Thank you for understanding."

Jay kissed Piper's head. "I know I'd want one last conversation with my dad," he mused, "I get it babe. I do. I don't like it, but I get it."

"Not our dad," Erin reminded him, "Nothing about him gives him the right to be called our dad." She squeezed his arm lightly. "We'll be right up. This won't take long."

Piper hugged Jay tightly. "I'm ready," she said bravely, "I can do it."

"I know you can," Jay managed, carefully setting his little girl down. He really hated that he wouldn't be with his girls, but Hailey had promised to be right outside. "I love you both."

Erin drew in a deep breath and extended her hand, which Piper took. She offered a grateful smile to Jay's partner, who was standing beside the door to interrogation. "Love you, babe," she whispered, "Ready, Noodle?"

Piper nodded and squeezed her big sister's hand. "I'm here," she promised, taking in as deep a breath as she could, "I'm not worried."

Erin stepped into the interrogation room, incredibly aware of the last time she'd set foot in the same room. She'd been reeling, spiraling, completely out of control – but this time, she was steady. She had to be steady. There were three lives depending on her to be steady.

"My girls," Kenny said, attempting to lift his hands that were chained to the table, "It's so good to see you."

"Save it," Piper said before Erin could even open her mouth. Erin looked down at her sister in surprise. Her little bug was ordinarily a sweet and gentle child, but she clearly had the same Lindsay streak of feistiness. Their biological father widened his eyes in surprise as well.

"You raising my daughter to be a brat?" Kenny scowled at Erin, "I heard she was a sweet little girl."

"I'm doing a better job than you did," Erin retorted, giving Piper's hand a light squeeze, "You have no right to talk about her like that. You don't know either of us."

He narrowed his gaze. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, "I can hear her breathing all the way over here." Kenny looked up at Erin, "She sick? What did you do to my child?"

"I'm not yours," Piper insisted, "You're not my dad."

Kenny rolled his eyes. "That detective. I'm telling you, the guy just cannot seem to take a hint." He locked eyes with Piper. "Piper, darling, they've been lying to you. He isn't your father. I am."

Piper coughed into her elbow. "Jay's my dad," she insisted, "He might not be my biological dad, but he's more a dad than you will ever be." She coughed again.

"She's smart too," Erin smirked, "We don't belong to you. Never have, never will." She squeezed Piper's hand tightly. "Piper has parents, and they aren't you."

"Well, you dragged a sick child into a police station to prove some kind of point," he replied, "I wouldn't do that."

"You left her in foster care for nine years, so you don't have a leg to stand on," she snapped back, "And you're the one in cuffs here, Kenny."

He leaned back in his chair. "What are you here for then? To berate me?"

"No," Erin took a seat while Piper stood beside her, staying impossibly close to her big sister, "I want to know why. You haven't been around for over thirty years. What's the motivation behind all this?"

"I've been around," he replied, "You might not have known it, but I've been around, sweetie."

"Don't sweetie me," Erin hissed, "Fine. You've been around. You've been dealing, moving product, whatever. I don't care. But I want to know why you're trying to stand in the way of us having a family. A family that has been denied to both of us for so long." She swallowed, grateful that her little girl was standing strong beside her when she felt like the walls were closing in.

Kenny narrowed his gaze and looked at the two people in front of him. "I wanted to have a family," he said slowly, "But when you arrived, I was too young. I didn't know how to be a father."

"And you think you do now?" Piper asked, "You think you can be my father after you let me stay in foster care for nine years?" She furrowed her brow, "I got hurt. Parents aren't supposed to let their kids get hurt."

"That was never our intention," Kenny tried, "We never wanted you to be harmed."

"We?" Erin blurted out, "Who's we?"

"Your mother. Bunny." Kenny tilted his head to the side. "Your mother and I talked about keeping an eye on you while we couldn't. We had others keeping tabs on you while it wasn't safe for me to be in the states." He gave Erin a sad smile. "We didn't want to lose her like we lost you."

"You didn't lose me. You left me," Erin spat, "You left me with Bunny, and she left me to suffer alone. And Piper was abused by your brother."

"And that will haunt me for the rest of my days, but I swear we only did it because we love you."

Erin felt her blood run cold.

"We?" she choked out, "You both knew that Piper was being abused?"

Kenny wrinkled his brow. "Uh, Bunny and I-"

"She knew?" Erin exploded, "You both knew what was happening to your daughter and you let it happen, but she was in a position to help while you were off doing god knows what." She stood abruptly, forcing the chair behind her to fall. Piper jumped up and clutched Erin's hand tightly.

He shook his head. "Erin-"

"She could have done something! She could have told me," she managed, "Instead, my sister spent nine years in hell because you two wanted to play some sick family fantasy?" Erin paused. "Did you even want us, ever?"

"I wanted a family," Kenny insisted, "Bunny said that if we could get Piper back that things would be different this time."

"So you're not just a criminal, you're also fucking stupid." Erin shook her head, "I knew Bunny was behind this. I will never understand why the two of you want to continue to put us through this. Haven't you done enough?" She grimaced when Piper coughed.

"Sweetie-"

"You will never see either of us again," Erin growled, "You don't get to know us. You don't get to think about us, not after you knew that this little girl was scared and alone and being hurt. Unforgiveable. You will not know any of my children."

Kenny raised his eyebrows. "Are you-"

"No," she spat, "Don't. Rot in hell."

Jay glanced over to the door when his girl shuffled into the bullpen. "Hey," he greeted, "Hank just got here, he's in his office-" He paused when Erin crumbled into his chest. Jay immediately turned to his sergeant's office door in alarm. "What…what happened, babe?"

"They both knew," Erin croaked, "They knew, the whole time. About what was happening to Piper. They let it happen."

"Where is she?" Jay asked gently, stroking her back, "She's not here?"

Erin pulled back in alarm. "She was right behind me," she stuttered, "She followed me up the stairs and- Noodle!"

Jay sprinted toward the door. "Piper!" he shouted, suddenly unable to breathe, "Pipes." He choked out a breath when he saw his little girl sitting on the top step stoically. "It's just me, Jay," he managed, stepping down to take a seat a few stairs below, "What happened, kiddo? Did he hurt you?"

Piper shook her head. "I'm okay," she said softly, "Really. You can go back. Erin needs you."

He swallowed and looked up to see Erin standing worriedly at the top of the steps. "She's okay," he promised, "Erin's going to be fine. I'm here for you now." Jay stroked her cheek gently, "What's going on in your head?"

"I'm not sad," she said simply, "I thought I would be sad to know that my biological parents knew bad stuff was happening to me, but I'm not." She locked eyes with him, "'cause I always knew they weren't good. And they never kept me safe. But you and Erin do keep me safe. And I know you love me and that you're my dad no matter what."

Jay managed a proud and watery smile. His little girl was so mature in some ways, but in others, she was still such a little girl. "I do love you. Very much. And Erin and I will always keep you safe."

Piper nodded. "Erin's upset," she whispered, "Because when she was ten years old, she wanted her parents to be good." The little girl drew in a soft breath before coughing. "But I really didn't want them to be good, because then I might have to leave you guys."

Erin brought her hand to her mouth, willing herself not to cry. Her little sister was right. She'd spent her whole life wishing and hoping that her parents were good people, deep down. She spent years dreaming about a loving dad who'd come rescue her from Bunny, from a life of pain and anguish. She used to dream that Bunny would turn her life around and be good enough to be her mom.

She wasn't just grieving the loss of her biological parents. She was grieving the loss of what she hoped they could be.

But Piper didn't want her biological parents to be good enough to whisk her away, because she knew she was safe and loved with Jay and Erin. The responsibility of it alone nearly brought her to her knees. Piper really was hers. Piper chose her.

"I'm so glad you found me," Piper managed, reaching up a small hand to wipe Jay's cheek, "And I'm glad that you got Erin and that we both get you forever." She offered a small smile. "I never needed Kenny. I just needed you."

Jay wrapped his arms around his little girl and held her as close as he could. "I'm so proud that I get to be your dad," he choked out, "I love you more than anything, Pipes."

"I love you," she replied, wrapping her arms and legs around the only father she ever knew, "My dad and my best friend."

Jay carried Piper into the bullpen, overwhelmed by just how much he loved the child in his arms. He wasn't joking when he said that Piper was his best friend because he'd truly never felt such a connection with a person before. Of course, Erin was his person, his other half, but Piper was different. She knew his soul like nobody else. Hell, she knew her big sister like nobody else. His little bug was impossibly empathic and was the missing piece of their puzzle. Jay knew that had things gone well with Erin the first time, they would have been happy, but Piper truly completed them.

"Where's Erin?" Piper asked, resting her head on Jay's shoulder, "Is she okay?"

"She's okay," he promised. His girl had retreated from the top of the steps once she'd been able to see that Piper was indeed fine, and that Jay was okay to handle their little bug. He glanced into the bullpen, hoping to find Erin, but frowned when she wasn't in his line of sight.

"In with Voight," Hailey informed him from her desk. She gestured with her pen toward their boss's office, "She's alright."

Jay nodded and kissed the top of Piper's head. "Have I told you how much I love you in the last minute?" he asked, peppering a few more kisses, "Because I don't think I can tell you enough."

Piper giggled before coughing slightly. "Careful, Jay. You're gonna make Erin jealous." She gave a smile, "And she's gonna put on her pouty face like when you tell her she's gotta eat the broccoli before ice cream."

He chuckled. "You're right." He brushed some hair off her face when the child coughed again. "We'll head home soon. Maybe get you some more medicine?"

She nodded gratefully. "Thank you for takin' care of me," she murmured, patting Jay's chest lightly with her small fingers, "I always feel better when you're holding me up."

Jay knocked on Hank's office door before pushing it open. "You alright?" he asked Erin, who was seated in one of the chairs across from her father's desk, hands resting on her baby bump.

Erin gave a small nod. "I'm okay," she promised, exhaling heavily, "I was just telling Hank about how brave our kid is." She smiled at her little girl, "Are you feeling okay, Noodle?"

Piper offered a confident nod but was undercut by a cough emerging from her lips. "We're a little wheezy," Jay supplied, rubbing Piper's back gently, "Thinking a movie on the couch could be good. And some cough medicine."

"Are you gonna put Kenny in the cage?" Piper asked Hank curiously.

All three adults in the room froze. Jay had done his best to keep Piper's observant ears away from any discussions of the cage or violence, particularly when it came to him or his boss. "What do you mean, kiddo?" Jay asked, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was.

"You know, the cage," she said simply, "Where the bad guys go." Piper looked at the sergeant, "Ruzek said that's where the really bad guys go."

Jay grimaced. Ruzek was notoriously bad about opening his mouth around Piper and had been chastised on more than a few occasions. "The really bad guys get picked up by the FBI," Hank said gently, "And uh, that's the update I was giving Erin, Jay. Feds want him. That misunderstanding was anything but."

He let out a heavy breath. "How long's he looking at?"

"Twenty to life," his boss confirmed, "Throwing everything they can at him."

"Hey man," Will greeted, extending a cup of coffee to his little brother, "How's everything going?"

"Hanging in there," Jay replied, "Been a better few days now that their biological dad is in federal custody and that other jerk off is at Statesville. Pipes is doing better too. Only had to use the inhaler twice yesterday."

"Good," he said, stretching slightly, "How's Erin?"

"Grumpy and pregnant," he sighed, "Can't believe it's so hot today. September is never like this."

"Global warming," his brother quipped, rubbing his hands together. "Any big plans for the weekend?"

Jay shook his head. "I'm going to try to keep Erin from biting my head off," he said dryly, "She's sweltering. I had the air conditioning on full blast last night. I almost put Pipes to bed in a sweater last night because it was so damn cold in here, but Erin just can't get cool."

Will raised his eyebrows. "You taught Piper to swim, right?" he asked excitedly, "Like, she isn't going to drown in a pool?"

"We got her swimming lessons and we swam in Wisconsin," Jay said, swallowing a sip of coffee, "But I'm not dropping her off in the middle of the lake if that's what you're thinking."

"Don't freak," he said, "But remember over the summer when it was like ten thousand degrees and you asked if I went swimming because I was so sweaty?" He grinned when Jay looked skeptical, "I got you guys a pool."

"What?" Jay put his coffee down on the kitchen counter, "It's about to be winter, man."

"Not a real pool," Will rolled his eyes, "A kiddie pool. A few weeks back you said Erin was complaining about being hot and this thing was on sale when I was in the store this morning, so I thought I'd bring it over. You just fill it up with the hose and you can float around. Toss some ice cubes in there if you really want."

A smile spread on Jay's lips. "You did that?"

"I took the liberty of getting it set up too," he beamed, pointing out the back door, "Fifteen minutes and that bad boy is ready for use." He looked up the steps, "Where's munchkin?"

"Still sleeping," Jay replied, taking another sip of coffee, "She's finally sleeping through the night again, and not coughing so much. Erin and I talked about it, and we think she could probably head back to school on Monday."

"That's great," Will praised, "I know she was really going through it. Pneumonia can be rough, especially with asthma." He glanced up the steps when he heard shuffling. "Speaking of. Hi munchkin."

"Hi," Piper said softly, immediately making her way over to Jay. As much as she liked Will, Jay was her safe place.

"There's my kid," Jay beamed, lifting his sleepy little girl into his arms, "I missed you while you were sleeping, Pipes." He grinned when she cuddled closer. His latest reading had been about making kids feel loved from the minute they woke up, and he was determined to make sure that Piper knew just how much he loved her every second of every day.

"Erin's grumbling upstairs," she informed him, "She was swearin' about how hot she is."

Jay chuckled. "Was she?"

Piper nodded. "All your clothes are on the bed 'cause she said all of hers are too tight." She offered a smile. "We're gonna have to have a cleaning Sunday, I think."

"Nobody will ever doubt that you are my kid," Jay praised, kissing Piper's forehead, "I agree. We'll need a cleaning Sunday after Hurricane Erin." He smiled wider when Piper nodded in agreement. "But today is Saturday, and Will brought over something that I think could be really fun."

Piper looked at Will curiously. "You brought presents again?"

"Oh yeah," Will said with a smile, "I love bringing presents for my favorite kid." He wiggled his eyebrows when Piper blushed bashfully. "Jay, you wanna show her?"

Jay carried Piper to the back door to the porch and pointed into the yard. "Will brought over a kiddie pool," he said, "Thought it might be a fun way to keep Erin cool, hm?"

"That's a good idea," Piper said, looking over to Will, "Erin is so hot. She said she's never gonna complain about Chicago being too cold again."

Will chuckled. "Well, this is probably the last nice weekend til about May, so we'll see if she keeps that promise." He paused, "You know what? We could hook up that sprinkler we got for the slip n' slide too, what do you think?"

His brother was in the running for his favorite person. Jay couldn't thank him enough for bringing over the kiddie pool. Following Erin's initial skepticism about wearing a bathing suit while she felt like as she put it "a beached whale", he was successfully able to convince her to try the cold pool for a few minutes.

It was an absolute game changer.

While Erin relaxed in the kiddie pool that Piper had helped fill with some ice cubes and cool water, Jay turned on the sprinkler for Piper to run through. Will chased the little girl through the sprinkler and Jay couldn't stop smiling at how much better she was doing. It had been almost two weeks of her home with pneumonia, and the giggles escaping her lips were everything.

After tiring fairly quickly given that she was still recovering, Piper sat in the pool with her big sister before getting a bit too cold. Jay was more than happy to sit with his little girl in a lawn chair, enjoying the fact that both his girls were at peace.

"I don't think it gets better than this," Erin mused, feeling the cool water wash over her warm skin, "Your brother is a godsend."

Jay chuckled and kissed the top of Piper's damp head as she snoozed against him in the lawn chair. His little bug was wrapped in a beach towel and cuddled up in his arms. Erin was right. He didn't think it could get any better. "He is," Jay confirmed, "You're feeling better. I can tell."

"The water is amazing," she praised, "I woke up and was just so hot." She lifted her head. "I totally destroyed our bedroom," Erin said sheepishly, "Everything was too tight."

"I'll clean up tomorrow," he said noncommittally, "Just relax babe. You've got two little beans causing all sorts of mayhem up in there."

Erin ran her hands over the growing swell in her stomach. "I know we've still got a few months but they're going to fly by," she mused, "We might have to start thinking of names. Unless we want to call them Bean A and Bean B forever."

"Well according to the book, they're Peach A and Peach B now," Jay said teasingly, "Way bigger than beans, babe."

"You're telling me," Erin said dryly, gesturing to her protruding belly, "I swear, most of your clothes don't even fit me anymore." She stuck her lower lip out. "I like it when my pajamas smell like you, babe."

"I'll buy some bigger shirts," he promised, "Don't worry. I love it when my girl wears my clothes. Even if it means our bedroom looks like a tornado passed through it." He smiled when Piper shifted slightly in his lap and cuddled further. "Maybe we can take a trip to the mall tomorrow."

"What do you think about me changing my name?" Erin asked as she rubbed Jay's chest lightly. Her partner had his arm wrapped around her and was gently tracing circles on her bare tummy as they laid on the couch in the early evening. Piper had fallen asleep quickly after dinner, absolutely exhausted from the few hours of activity in the sun. She was thankfully breathing better and not coughing so frequently.

"You don't like Erin?" he asked curiously, lifting his eyebrows in surprise, "What do you want me to call you?"

"Not my first name, you goon," Erin chuckled, "My last name. Lindsay." She looked up at his slightly confused gaze, "What about me changing it to Halstead? When we get married?"

"You would do that?" Jay's eyes widened further, "You…you would want to be a Halstead?"

"Of course," she said, continuing to rub his chest, "I'm marrying you, babe. I've got two Halsteads in my belly. I want to be a Halstead too."

Jay couldn't believe what he was hearing. His girl wanted to share his last name. "I want you to be a Halstead as well," he said thickly, leaning down to kiss her nose, "Erin Lindsay Halstead?"

"Erin Lindsay Halstead," she repeated, "I like the sound of that." Erin smiled, "What do you think about-"

"W-w-what about me?"

Piper's tearful voice caused both of them to lift their heads. Erin immediately sat up and adjusted Jay's t shirt to cover her belly. Her little girl looked downright distraught as she stood in front of the couch, sleep still clouding her eyes. "Noodle-"

"I wanna be a Halstead too," Piper whimpered, "I-I don't wanna be the only Lindsay."

"Oh, sweetheart," Erin cooed, holding her arms out for her little sister, "You're not the only Lindsay. It's you and me." She offered a small smile when Piper still looked sad, "And that was going to be my next question to Jay. That if you were comfortable, we could make you Piper Lindsay Halstead."

Jay was stunned.

First, he'd honestly never expected his incredibly independent partner to want to change her last name. She was Erin Lindsay. It was a name she'd chosen for herself to separate herself from Bunny, for her to carve her own path outside of the poor choices of the woman who gave birth to her. He had assumed that Erin changing her last name would be out of the question, and that they would always be Jay Halstead and Erin Lindsay. He was fully comfortable with that.

Second, he never, ever expected either of his girls to want to change Piper's last name to Halstead.

Piper was still Piper Andrews on paper, the last name of the first foster family she'd been placed with. They had previously discussed changing Piper's last name to Lindsay once Erin was formally able to adopt her, but that had been before Piper had asked Jay to adopt her as well. Either way, Jay assumed that Piper would be Piper Lindsay. He loved his Lindsay girls.

But Piper wanted to be a Halstead too.

Tears filled his eyes as he struggled to find words to express just how much he loved his girls. Piper nodded vigorously at Erin's proposition and promptly raced into her sister's waiting arms. "I love you, baby," Erin whispered into Piper's ear, "No matter what your last name is, you're ours. I don't want you to forget that."

"I know," Piper sniffed, holding tighter to her big sister, "You're my family."

"We are," she replied, stroking Piper's back gently, "The five of us, right?" Erin smiled when Piper put a hand on her sister's belly.

"A-are you sure?" Jay managed. Those weren't the words that he wanted to leave his lips, but they were the ones on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't believe that both of his girls wanted to share his last name.

"Of course," Erin said, offering a small smile. She rested her head on Piper's as the little girl rubbed her belly gently. "You know, back before we talked about changing Noodle's last name, the reason I didn't bring it up earlier was because I was waiting for us both to change our last name to Halstead." Erin squeezed Jay's thigh, "We're your girls, babe."

Jay managed a smile. "My girls," he choked out, "How did I get so lucky?" He beamed when Piper gave him a smile, "C'mere, Pipes." He lifted her into his arms and held her closely. "You want to be a Halstead too?"

Piper nodded and settled against his chest. "I wanted to be a Halstead the day I met you," she whispered. She looked up to meet her father figure's watery gaze. "When I was little, every family that I went to, I thought about what it would be like to have their last name." She let out a soft breath. "Even before we knew Erin was my sister and that I would get to stay with you, I knew I wanted to stay forever. And be your kid."

He swallowed the lump in his throat when Erin leaned into his chest as well. "You know what? I um, I wanted that too." He kissed the top of Piper's head. "The moment I saw you I knew you were special. And the first time you held my hand, I knew I wanted you to be my kid."

Piper settled further against her dad, reaching out a hand to bring her big sister in closer. Erin cuddled in next to Piper, Jay supporting both of his girls. "I guess we all knew we were meant to be a family," Erin mused, smiling when Piper leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I love all my Halsteads."

Doing a Jay request in the next with a twist - can't wait for you to read!