Let me know what you think! Been waiting for this one.

"How cute is that face?" Erin whispered, pulling Jay's arms closer around her as he snuggled into her back. She'd risen earlier than she wanted to because the boys were moving around and had woken up Jay when she stumbled to the bathroom. In an attempt to get a few more minutes she settled back into Jay's embrace but instead of drifting off, she found herself just watching Piper snooze.

"Mm," he mumbled into her neck, "You are cute."

"Not me," she replied, "Noodle. Look." She pointed at the baby monitor, which showed Piper cuddled up in her bed. "She's so adorable."

"You guys have the same face," he replied sleepily, "Both extremely cute. Especially when you sleep."

"You watch me sleep?" Erin lifted her head slightly. "Creepy much?"

"We are literally watching Pipes sleep right now," Jay retorted, "Not creepy." He let out a breath. "And I've caught you lookin' at me a few times, babe."

"'cause it's the only time you're ever relaxed," she informed him. Erin reached her hand back to stroke his chin. "This jaw is always clenched, baby."

"I relax," he insisted, "Promise. I'm incredibly chill."

"Yeah right." Erin snorted. "You are so not chill, Halstead."

"You're not either." Jay pointed his finger at the baby monitor. "We're stalking our kid."

"Monitoring," she clarified, "Making sure she sleeps and trying to anticipate headaches and nightmares." Erin exhaled. "She's been pretty good the past few days."

Jay hummed in agreement. Adjusting the shades in Piper's bedroom worked wonders, and she'd subsequently spent several days without waking up from a headache or a nightmare. He and Erin were both thrilled, and the restful nights of sleep had made everything a lot easier. "On the upswing," he mused, "She's doing so well. Don't want to jinx anything though."

Erin exhaled. "I have that meeting today," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. "I should probably get up otherwise I'm never going to leave this bed."

"Mm." Jay nibbled at her ears. "I'd be okay if you stayed here forever. I could join you. Play hooky. I'm sure Pipes would be fine to sleep in, and Hank would understand if I said I needed some time."

"My bosses are less understanding than yours, which I cannot believe," Erin replied, "I come back to Chicago and Hank loves you now. I used to watch him try to kill you with his eyes."

Jay chuckled. "All thanks to Pipes. Having her in the bullpen after school is the greatest thing. Totally puts a smile on his face."

"That kid is an angel," she determined, "You want to wake her up this morning?"

"Really?" Jay widened his eyes. The boys had been making it very difficult for Erin to sleep in, so the job of waking Piper up in the morning which was typically Jay, because he was up first, was taken over by Erin. It had been a few days since he got to rise his little bug from sleep.

"Go on," she said, patting his cheek gently, "I'll get in the shower." She chuckled when Jay quickly kissed her head and hurried out of the bedroom. She used to be the last in their family to wake up. Piper, after living with Jay first, had grown accustomed to his schedule. The little girl usually woke up when she heard him moving around in the apartment.

Erin hadn't been realizing what she was missing out on when it came to waking up their little girl. It absolutely melted her heart to watch her baby rub sleep from her eyes and climb out of bed. Jay didn't seem to mind that she had taken over per se, but she knew he loved it as much as she did.

Instead of getting right into the shower like she planned, Erin watched the baby monitor as Jay slowly crept into Piper's bedroom. Emotion rose in her throat when she watched him softly pad across the carpet and sink beside Piper's bed. He softly stroked her hair back and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She could have cried. It was the same way Jay liked to wake her up as well. He was so gentle with his girls. "Morning, sweet bug," he whispered, "Time to wake up."

Piper rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Hi," she mumbled, reaching her hand up to Jay's face, "You're smiling really big for it being so early."

Jay chuckled. "I am just so happy to see you." He kissed her little fingers when they grazed his cheek. "Think I might need to shave this morning, huh?"

"Erin likes your cheeks like this," Piper told him, "I think 'cause it tickles."

"Like this?" Jay peppered a few kisses on Piper's forehead, beaming when his little girl giggled gleefully. She wrapped her arms around his neck so he could lift her into his arms. "I love you so much, kiddo."

"Babe?" Jay poked his head into the steam-filled bathroom, "You okay?" He wrinkled his brow. He could hear his girl swearing from the bedroom while she got ready for the day, and it wasn't even eight in the morning.

"No," she replied, wiping a circle on the shower door so she could see her fiancé. "The stretchy pants you got me don't fit anymore, and none of my shirts can cover the bump, so I need to wear a dress for this presentation, which means I need to shave my legs, and your sons are making that task incredibly difficult."

Jay did his best to keep a straight face. "Boys are getting in the way, huh?" he said, hoisting his freshly cleaned shirt over his head, "You need some help in there?"

"I am not having sex with you," she said seriously, "I have an important meeting that I'm probably going to be late for because I can barely bend over and I've still got like three more months of this. I can't get much bigger, Jay."

He swallowed. He knew from experience to just take Erin's frustration in stride. "I'm sorry," he said, unclasping his belt, "What if I got in there and helped you shave your legs? I'll take all the creative direction you give me."

Erin wrinkled her brow. "You're going to shave my legs?"

Jay shrugged, discarding his pants to the side. "Can't be that different than my face," he replied, "Haven't cut myself in a while."

"That's because you don't shave your face all that often," she said, giving him a knowing glance, "These legs are the only part of me that hasn't swelled. I don't want 'em all cut up if it's the only thing about me that looks good."

"Babe," Jay shook his head, carefully opening the glass door, "You're stunning." He reached a hand out and ran it down his girl's side, feeling the curve in her body that housed his two sons. His boys. He knelt on the tile and looked up at Erin with a wide grin, shower water pelting his face. "If I cut your legs, I'll let you shave my face."

"Deal," she replied, handing him the razor. She paused as Jay lathered some shaving cream and carefully coated her legs. He was so incredibly tender with her.

"These really are gorgeous legs," he mused, stroking the razor up gently, "But I love every inch of you."

Erin couldn't take her eyes off her partner as he carefully ran the razor up her legs, going slowly to ensure he didn't cut her, maneuvering over her knees and even getting around her ankles. He wiped the remaining shaving cream off with a washcloth, leaving a trail of gentle kisses up her thigh. "Babe," she moaned, running her fingers through his hair, "We don't have time."

"I always have time for you," he replied, offering a cheeky grin, "I'll drop Pipes off at school today to save you some time."

"Jay doesn't like milkshakes, so you can't take him to do that," Piper informed Adam Ruzek seriously. The little girl was seated at Jay's desk to coordinate with the officer on his plans to occupy Jay during Erin's baby shower. "But Kim said you have to entertain him for at least two hours because the baby shower is girls only."

"Kim said that, huh?" he huffed, leaning back in his chair, "No milkshakes?"

Piper shook her head and glanced into Voight's office where Jay and Hailey were speaking to their sergeant. "You told Will and Kevin, right? And the firemen?"

"I did," Ruzek confirmed, "You and Kim don't have much faith in me, apparently. I can entertain Jay for two hours. Promise."

"Okay," Piper said skeptically, "Kim trusts you." She looked back into the office. "I think you should take Hank too."

He nearly choked. "My boss? C'mon kid, don't do me like that."

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Are you scared or something?"

"I'm not scared," he spluttered, "I just don't think…it doesn't make sense to…" Ruzek grimaced when he couldn't find the right excuse. "Fine. I'll do it. But only because you're Jay and Erin's kid."

She smiled, pleased that she'd been able to convince the officer to the plans she and Kim had been working on. "Good. The only other thing is no motorcycles. That's one of Erin's rules."

Ruzek dramatically bopped himself on the head. "I was going to take him for milkshakes and to ride motorcycles," he bemoaned, "You're really cramping my style, kid."

Piper narrowed her gaze. "I never know if you're teasing or being serious," she said, "That's how come I'm skeptical."

"Skeptical? Of me? Do you even know what skeptical means?" Ruzek folded his arms across his chest. "You really are a mini-Erin."

"That better be a compliment, Adam."

Piper broke into a smile when she heard Erin's voice. The officer immediately blanched when he caught sight of his former co-worker coming up the steps. "To what do we owe the pleasure? You here to take over Voight's job?" Ruzek teased when Erin came up the steps to the bullpen, "Or are you here to break Jay's balls?"

"You wish," she retorted, shoving her former co-worker slightly before offering her little girl a big smile, "I'm here to pick up my favorite kid to get some ice cream."

Piper's eyes widened. "Really?"

Erin nodded and stroked Piper's cheek. She had sent an email to Piper's teachers that morning to check in and Piper's history teacher mentioned that Piper had been growing incredibly withdrawn, likely because there was a small presentation coming up that Piper was supposed to present with Griffin. Erin had immediately called Jay to see if he could dig any deeper after pick up, but when he reported a similar observation of their little bug, she knew her baby needed her. "How's your head, sweetheart?"

"I'm okay," Piper said softly. She let out a breath. "I was just sad today, 'cause I gotta present the history project next week by myself because Griffin moved."

Erin continued to stroke Piper's cheek, grateful that the little girl let her in to what was going on inside her head. "I'm sorry you were sad," she mused, tucking some loose hair behind Piper's little ears, "It's hard when friends move away, isn't it?"

Piper nodded. "I felt better when Jay picked me up," she offered, "And I'm really happy to see you and the boys."

She beamed and kissed the top of her sister's head. "We're happy to see you too." Erin swallowed when Piper gently put her hand on her baby bump. It melted her heart every single time. "I'm going to make sure he knows I'm sneaking you away so he doesn't freak out. Are you okay to put up with Adam for a few more minutes?"

Piper nodded again. "He doesn't like your motorcycle rule," she informed her, giving Ruzek a pointed look. He tossed up his hands in a huff, earning an eye roll from Erin.

"I'm the mom, so I make the rules," Erin said, smirking at Ruzek when Piper nodded in understanding. "No motorcycles. And no fireworks either."

"You used to be fun!" Ruzek called behind her when Erin turned on her heel toward Hank's office. He turned back to the littler Lindsay. "Damn. Would you believe me if I told you that your sister would have been the first person I would have picked would jump on the back of a motorcycle back in the day?"

Erin knocked on her father figure's office door and poked her head in when he gestured for her to enter. "Sorry for interrupting," she greeted, "I just came by to pick up Piper."

Jay smiled widely. He never got tired of seeing his girl. "This is a nice surprise. As long as I'm not in trouble."

"Ha. Don't get used to it," she said, offering an apologetic smile to Hank and Hailey, "Sorry, I'll get out of your hair."

"We just wrapped," Hank confirmed, leaning back in his chair, "You doin' alright?"

She nodded and cleared her throat. "Good. Really good actually." She looked to Jay and took in a breath. "The presentation went well. Bryer uh, promoted me. Diane's going to get my job and I have the opportunity to run the entire department. If I want it. It's a lot of responsibility but he said I could do it and the hours are supposed to be better-"

"That's incredible," Jay gushed, bringing his hands to her shoulders, "Amazing. Congratulations, babe."

Erin smiled. "Thank you, uh, I was going to wait to tell you but…" She trailed off, her cheeks darkening when she remembered that she wasn't just with Jay – his partner and her father figure were also in the room.

Hank beamed proudly. "Proud of you, kiddo," he said gruffly, "Always knew you were going places."

Erin let out a heavy sigh as she trailed after Jay up the steps. Piper was fast asleep on his shoulder, tiny lips parted as she breathed deeply. After an ice cream date with her big sister, their little bug seemed to be doing okay. She was incredibly excited to help with Erin's baby shower the following day and quickly fell asleep on Jay while they watched a movie. "You alright?" Jay asked, turning around to make sure his girl was indeed behind him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she sighed, taking another step up, waving her hand flippantly. "It's fine."

Jay stopped. "Babe, if you're in pain-"

"No, no, it's nothing like that," she assured him, "Really." Erin sighed again when Jay didn't turn around. "You're going to think I'm ridiculous."

"Try me." He offered a small smile and shifted his sleeping little bug slightly. "What's going on?"

"I'm not fun anymore." Erin dragged a hand through her hair and then frowned when Jay's smile widened. "I knew you were going to think I'm ridiculous."

"Ridiculous because you are fun, Er," he insisted. Jay shifted Piper again when he felt her stir slightly. "Let me just tuck her in and then we can talk about it, okay?"

Jay settled his sleepy little girl into bed and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I love you, sweet bug," he whispered, running his finger over her perfect little nose. He smiled when she exhaled, fully content and fully asleep knowing that she was safe and loved at home. Jay softly padded to the hall and closed her bedroom door before closing his eyes for one minute. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on in Erin's head but he wanted to help as best he could.

He frowned when he entered their bedroom to Hurricane Erin. Half their closet was on the bed and all the dresser drawers were open – on both his and Erin's. "Babe?" he called out tentatively, "What's going on?"

"I'm freaking out," she replied, dropping another armful of clothes onto the bed, "I-I don't know who I am anymore."

Jay furrowed his brow and took a careful step into the bedroom. "What do you mean?"

Erin gestured to the dress she was wearing. "This! I…I sit at a desk now. I push paper around and I tell people what to do and I wear dresses and…and I'm a mom. I spend half my day worried about one child and the other half worried about these two and I can't even remember the last time I did something stupid just because I wanted to." She brought her hands to her temples. "I don't know who I am."

He reached forward to take her hand. "You are a mom," he said softly, "It's changed things a little bit, but you're still the woman I fell in love with."

She shook her head rapidly. "I'm not though. I'm not fun. I-I worry about making sure that Noodle's taking vitamins and sleeping enough and today I almost told Adam he couldn't take you to a steakhouse tomorrow because Will said your dad had high cholesterol and it got me all freaked out but then he told me I wasn't fun-"

"This is because Ruzek said something stupid?" Jay resisted the urge to curse. While he was intricately familiar with the need to be careful with his words around pregnant Erin, the younger officer clearly did not. "Babe, don't listen to him." He stroked her cheek gently. "We're not in our twenties anymore. We have kids. Jobs. A family to come home to." Jay gave a small smile. "It's changed things, sure, but we haven't lost sight of the important stuff."

Erin sniffed. "You still think I'm fun?"

"You were the one who pulled me into the shower yesterday, and we had some fun this morning too," he reminded her with a cheeky smile. He chuckled when Erin's cheeks heated. "Ruzek doesn't know about that kind of stuff, for good reason." Jay tilted his head slightly. "Are you thinking you don't want the promotion?"

"No, I…I do want it." Erin swallowed. "That's uh, that's what scares me. I never thought this would be me." She gestured to her outfit again. "I don't know, being back in the bullpen today made me just think about my old life and…and I know this one is better but I'm just scared. Scared I'll fuck it up. That I'll fuck up our kids and that you'll wake up one morning and not be in love with the stranger in bed beside you."

Jay wiped a tear away. "Well, first of all, there are no strangers in our bed," he said, "And if it's possible, I love you even more every morning when I wake up. I get to fall in love with another part of you as I've seen you get more comfortable being a mom and let me tell you, it turns me on like nothing else." A boyish grin spread across his cheeks when Erin's lips lifted. "Our kids are so lucky to have you as their mom," he continued, "You worrying about them, and about me, is just you growing into that mom part of you that you never knew you had."

She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for freaking out again," she choked out, "I…I don't know what happened."

"It's been a busy few days," he said, crouching down to kiss her bump, "There's a baby shower tomorrow for these two and you got a big promotion. Anyone would be a little freaked out."

"So you don't think I'm some nagging housewife?" Erin dragged a hand across her nose, "Because I said no motorcycles?"

He chuckled. "Honestly babe, I'm not risking anything. Life's too good." Jay kissed her bump again. "And if it makes you feel any better, I'll skip the steak."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you," she whispered, placing one hand on his heart, "I can't do this without you, I know it."

"You won't have to," Jay promised, "I'm here. And we're both growing up. Too old for Molly's hangovers and anything planned by Ruzek. I'm glad Pipes gave him some ground rules."

Erin let out a breath. Talking it out with Jay helped and her shoulders felt a thousand times lighter. "Me too," she replied, rubbing her bump gently, "I love our little planning bug. She was doing okay after ice cream today. I think she's just missing Griffin."

Jay nodded in agreement. "She's adjusting, but she's okay. Her mom's looking out for her." He stood from his crouched position. "And you set a very good example for her too. You're the boss, babe. That's pretty incredible. I'm so proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too," she replied, leaning into his shoulder heavily. She pulled back slightly. "I know you did all that reading about good parenting but I really just want to snuggle with our little bug tonight."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her nose. "You need space, babe. But what if we check on her, and see if she's up?"

"Babe," Erin murmured from Piper's bedroom door. She gestured for him to follow her.

"Aw," he whispered, looking at how adorably his little girl was snuggled under the covers, "She's the cutest."

Erin let out an exhale. "Not going to lie, I was really hoping she'd be awake so she could snuggle with us tonight."

Jay rubbed her shoulder gently. "Me too. But she needs good sleep."

She blew out a breath. "And I've been waking up to pee a bunch. Wouldn't be fair. You're right." She softly padded over to her sleeping baby and kissed her forehead.

Jay smoothed some of Piper's hair back and kissed her head gently. "I love you, Pipes," he murmured, "Sleep tight, sweet bug."

"Love you, Daddy."

His heart nearly stopped.

Piper was almost totally asleep, but in her exhaustion had called him Daddy. To him. Emotion rose in his chest when Erin squeezed his arm. He swallowed the lump in his throat and pressed another kiss to his sleeping baby's forehead before quietly exiting.

"Daddy," he choked out when Erin carefully closed Piper's bedroom door, "Er, I…I can't believe it."

"I can," Erin told him, bringing her palms to his cheeks, "You're her daddy, babe."

Tears formed in his eyes before he could blink them back. "I can't…I can't even verbalize how much I love her," he managed, "And how much I love you. And how much I love our sons and…I never thought I would get this."

Erin wiped his cheeks with her thumbs gently. "I know," she whispered, "But you deserve it, Jay. You're the best dad, the best partner, the best friend we've ever had. You take care of everyone and you've put together two very broken Lindsays." She kissed his lips gently. "We love you so much."

Jay crawled into bed beside Erin, still in disbelief that Piper had called him Daddy. Granted, she was very much asleep, but the fact that it was even on her tongue had Jay on cloud nine. He let out an exhale and shuffled closer to Erin.

"It's been a long day for you too, baby," Erin mused, running her fingers through his hair as he brought his lips to her bump, "I'm here. You're safe."

Jay tilted his head up. "You're my safe place," he murmured, allowing her gentle touches to relax him, "Thank you for everything. For this family."

She shook her head. "You don't need to thank me, babe. I'm here for all of it. We're here."

"Adam, you want to grab that banner?" Hailey asked, gesturing to the banner that had fallen on one side, "There's a stool right there." Kim had convinced the team to stop by to help set up for Erin's baby shower. While Kevin and Jay carried drinks into the house from the back of the truck and Erin got ready upstairs, Piper and Hailey were supervising Adam hanging the decorations.

The younger officer let out a breath. "You know, I vaguely remember being your banner hanging monkey at the last baby event we had," he remarked, tacking the sign back up, "Piper here certainly takes after her big sister."

Piper raised her eyebrows slightly. "'cause I told you what to do?"

Hailey chuckled and Adam blew out a breath. "Precisely." He gestured to the banner. "How's that look Squeaks?"

"Squeaks?" Hailey furrowed her brow. "She's not a mouse, Ruzek." She squeezed Piper's hand and the little girl giggled.

"Pip-squeak," he replied, putting his hands on his hips. "Everyone seems to have a nickname for her. If I ever have any shot at being her favorite member of the team, I need to compete."

"You want me to trust you?" Piper asked, crinkling her nose slightly. She looked up at Hailey, then back to Adam when he nodded adamantly. "Okay. What if I ask you a question, and you have to tell the truth?"

Ruzek looked at the little girl expectantly before exchanging a quick glance with Hailey, who shrugged. "Hit me with it," he said, "What kind of question you got kid? Your cool Uncle Adam will tell you the truth."

Piper again looked to Hailey and then back up to Adam. "I want to know how babies are made."

The officer just about fell off the stool, and Hailey burst into a fit of laughter. Piper giggled as well. "That was good, Snipes," she said, bringing a hand to her mouth as Adam struggled to find words, "Look on his face was priceless."

"That was funny," Piper said with a smile, "He got so scared." She offered a teasing look. "You don't have to be scared of me. I'm just a kid with good questions."

"You put her up to that?" Adam choked out, looking at Hailey incredulously. "Jay would kill me."

"I already know," Piper informed him, "Jay said it would be funny if I asked you, and he was right." She turned for the kitchen, where Jay and Erin were in the doorway in a fit of laughter. "See?"

"I thought you were a mini-Erin," he huffed, wiping his hands on his jeans, "But turns out you're really just a mini-Jay. Always cracking jokes at my expense."

Piper offered a wide smile to Jay and Erin who were still chuckling. "You are the best," Erin said, holding out her arms for Piper, "C'mere, you."

"You can't lift me," Piper said seriously, stroking Erin's cheek gently. She ran her little fingers over the earrings her big sister had picked out. "I'm too big."

Erin put her hand on her heart and shook her head. "No way," she said, "You better believe the first thing I'm doing when these two are out of me is getting the best Noodle snuggles." She kissed the top of Piper's head and smiled when her little girl giggled.

"You can't pick her up, but I can," Jay declared, scooping up Piper into his arms like a baby, "Where do you want this delivery, Kim?"

Piper dissolved into giggles as Jay mimed setting her down on various pieces of furniture. "Jay!" she squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck. She laughed when Erin poked her in the ribs. "Ah!"

"What are you two doing with my assistant?" Kim asked, putting her hands on her hips, "Piper, are your parents being a distraction?"

"Yes!" Piper giggled, "I'm supposed to be helping Hailey with the decorations."

"And Adam," Kim remarked, glancing around the kitchen and living room. Will had arrived amidst the commotion and was helping Hailey with the balloons. "Where is he?"

"Will took over," Adam replied, mouthful of quiche, "These are phenomenal."

"They're also not for you," she hissed, taking the half-eaten quiche from her coworker's hand. "Mitts off."

"Told you he eats my snacks," Piper said to Erin, offering another wide smile, "Jay always wonders where the granola bars go." She pointed at Adam. "Think you found the culprit."

"Culprit?" Jay shook Piper in his arms, getting another gleeful giggle, "Where did that big vocabulary come from, huh?"

"Is your head hurting?"

Erin lifted his gaze to meet Piper's. The little girl was standing in front of the couch, looking at her big sister worriedly. Truthfully, her head was pounding. Kim had absolutely outdone herself on the baby shower and had invited most of Erin's female friends to celebrate the Halsteads on the way. Erin was overwhelmed by the generosity of her friends that had become family as the reality of twins truly settled in.

Ruzek had taken Jay for an afternoon with the boys. Jay had been reluctant to leave but did so begrudgingly with some encouragement from his girls. He was due back shortly and Erin was counting down the minutes until it was just her little family again. Celebrating was exhausting.

"A little, but I'm okay," Erin promised, holding a hand out to her little girl, "I think we should go to bed early, hm?"

Piper nodded and settled on the couch next to her big sister. "Did the boys wake you up last night?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on Erin's tummy. She smiled when she felt movement underneath her palm. "They're moving now."

Erin chuckled. "They were pushing each other around last night, I think," she said, rubbing her bump, "I have a feeling that these two are going to be wrestling like Jay and Will."

"They are so silly sometimes," Piper said, running her fingers across Erin's stomach, "Like when they play Halstead ball or when we did the slip and slides. That was so fun."

"When these boys are a little bigger we can do all that stuff with them," Erin told her, "You get to be the cool big sister and can teach them all the games. And get them to behave since you're the Halstead-whisperer."

Piper gave an emphatic nod. She glanced over to the door when there was a loud knock. "We didn't invite anyone else," she said, wrinkling her brow, "Maybe it's Jay?"

Erin nodded and accepted Piper's hand to get off the couch. "Or maybe Kim has some more surprises up her sleeve." She padded to the front door and immediately frowned. "Noodle, can you go upstairs please?"

The little girl froze when she saw the figure at their front door through the window. "Please," Erin begged, "Upstairs, okay?"

Piper shook her head. "I'm not leaving you," she insisted, "You said sisters stick together. I don't want you to be by yourself."

Erin swallowed and managed a nod before opening their front door to reveal Bunny Fletcher standing on their front stoop.

Eeeeeeeeek ya had to know it wouldn't be the last of Bunny!