I didn't really write an actual Christmas Day chapter in any previous installments (since I only alluded to it) so I figured I owed ya one :)

Piper shivered slightly as she padded down the steps. She could hear her mommy and daddy talking downstairs, and something smelled really yummy.

She smiled when she saw her daddy in the kitchen wearing the same pair of Christmas pajamas that she was. He was giving her mommy a taste of whatever smelled so good on the stove. Piper smiled wider when he kissed her lips. She loved watching her mommy and daddy love each other. And she loved seeing them smile.

"Hey kiddo," Jay greeted when he saw her on the steps, "Merry Christmas."

Piper hurried down the rest of the stairs and into his waiting arms. Jay lifted her and held closely, pressing a kiss into her hair. He always gave her the best greetings in the morning. "It smells good," she informed him, glancing over his shoulder to see what was on the stove. "What did you make?"

"We made Mommy's French toast," he said, pointing to the saucepan, "But with a twist. Extra sauce for dipping. Because it's Christmas." He kissed the side of her head. "As you can see, Mommy already got a head start."

Erin looked up from the stove sheepishly, piece of French toast in her hand. "It's amazing," she said, mouth full. "Morning, baby girl. Did you sleep okay?"

Piper nodded. She didn't have a nightmare, which was good. And she slept in her own bed, all night. "You both have the same pajamas as me!" she exclaimed excitedly when she saw that her mommy was in matching pajama pants to her and her daddy, "Do the boys have some too?"

Erin chuckled, running a hand over the incredibly strained t shirt across her belly. She'd managed to slip on the pajama pants, but the button up top didn't stand a chance. She had to settle for wearing it open. "Well, this top doesn't button over them," she said, pulling at the shirt, "But maybe we'll get them some matching pajamas for Valentine's day, because they'll be here by then I bet." Erin reached up to stroke Piper's cheek gently. "You want to open some presents?"

Piper followed her mommy's finger to the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room that was overflowing with presents. She had never seen so many gifts before. "Wow," she managed, "There are so many."

"And most of 'em have your name on them," Jay told her, "Which one do you want to open first?"

She looked at the volume of presents and then back to her mommy, who was looking at her, eyes shining. Piper couldn't believe there were so many gifts for her. She had already gotten presents for her birthday and presents when she got adopted. She wasn't sure why she was getting more, "What happened?" she whispered, nervousness creeping into her voice. "Is…is something happening?"

Erin exchanged a worried glance with Jay. "Nothing's wrong," she said, smoothing some of Piper's hair back, "It's just Christmas, that's all." She caught Jay's gaze again, unsure of what was going on in the child's head. They'd discussed the possibility of Piper being overwhelmed about the holiday, but the year before she had handled everything relatively well, and her birthday had gone well also.

"We don't have to open anything," Jay offered carefully, "We can wait." He tilted his head to the side when Piper still looked nervous. "What's going through your head, kiddo?"

Piper swallowed. Her parents looked worried. She didn't like it when she made them worried, but they always got a similar look when she got worried. "I don't…I don't know." She looked back at the presents and then to her mommy. "I thought presents only were for good kids."

Jay widened his eyes at Piper's statement. "You are a good kid," he said quickly, "A very good kid. A great one, in fact. Our favorite kid."

She shook her head. "I heard the other kids talking about the lists." Piper looked at Jay seriously. "That's how come some kids don't get presents. And that's why grown ups made up Santa. So only good kids would get stuff. I wasn't good when I was little, and I know wasn't good this year."

Erin put her hand on her bump, Piper's words causing her heart to clench. "Sweetheart," she started, "You have always been good." She paused, the facets of her little girl's understanding of the holiday coming together in her head. Piper spent years without getting presents, through no fault of her own. Hearing the stories about naughty and nice lists created confusion, because her sweet baby thought that it was her actions that were the reason she hadn't been gifted anything in years prior. "And this year especially, you have been amazing. But no matter what you do, it doesn't change how much we love you. Because you are ours no matter what."

"But I broke rules this year," Piper rasped, "I fought at school and I yelled and I…I cried a lot and I made a lot of stress." She swallowed, trying her best to be brave and not cry. "Good kids don't do that."

"Oh, Pipes," Jay cooed, holding closer to his little girl, "None of that matters. You know, I did a lot of crying this year. And I broke rules. And there are still presents under the tree with my name on them." He kissed her forehead. "We all do things that aren't the best sometimes, but that doesn't change who we are."

"You are also the best kid there is," Erin promised, "And I'm not just saying that because you're our kid, okay? You are the most amazing person we know." She managed a smile. "Daddy and I talk about how lucky we are to be your parents all the time."

Piper looked from her mommy to her daddy. They really did love her. Even though she got upset and had bad nightmares and caused them to worry…they still loved her. And they thought she was a good kid. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I…I used to get told I was bad a lot. And um, I'm trying to be better. 'cause I want to deserve it."

Erin shook her head, biting down harshly on her lip to keep the tears at bay. "You have always been deserving, sweet girl," she managed, "Always. You don't have to do anything to prove that."

Jay beamed when Piper picked up another present from beneath the tree. Instead of jumping right into presents, he and his girls ate French toast on the couch. He turned on Christmas music at a low volume and had Piper in his lap, keeping her close as a reminder that she was home, safe and very much loved.

Thankfully, the breakfast seemed to help. After sitting with her parents and feeling safe and secure, Jay could tell his little bug was reaching a more regulated state. The brief moment earlier that morning was a careful reminder that even though their little girl could appear brave and steady, there was still so much of her that was still working through all the trauma she'd experienced growing up.

Instead of watching Piper work through the presents, he and Erin helped her unwrap many of the gifts they'd gotten her – new clothes, some shoes, and few educational projects that Piper was excited about. The simple act of unwrapping the gifts for her as a family seemed to help her adjust. And Piper loved watching Jay and Erin unwrap their gifts.

"Who's that one from, Noodle?" Erin asked, adjusting her position on the couch. She was trying to ignore the twinge in her back from the pressure of the boys in the spirit of the holiday, but after almost an hour, she really needed to move around.

Piper examined the package carefully. "It's from Daddy," she said, holding up the box, "The box says 'To my girls'. That's us."

Erin looked at Jay in slight surprise. They'd coordinated on every single present for Piper, so she wasn't exactly sure what her fiancé had up his sleeve. "We are his girls," Erin said, holding out an arm, "You want to open it together?"

The little girl nodded and climbed back onto the couch to settle against her mommy. Erin helped her peel back the wrapping paper, brow furrowed as she tried to discern what the gift was. "It's a book," Piper declared, her jaw dropping slightly, "Of us!"

Erin glanced down at the book in Piper's lap. It was a bound picture book, full of pictures of their little family over the last year. She always knew Jay was good about taking pictures of Piper, but she had no idea how many he'd taken of the two of them together. "Oh, wow, babe," she gushed, watching at Piper turned the pages of the book in wonder, "You got this whole year?"

He nodded slowly. "I um, I know you didn't have a ton of pictures from when you were growing up. Or from when you were little, Pipes. And I thought this could be a fun tradition for our family."

"I love it," Piper said, placing the book down on the couch to crawl into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held closely. "And I love you."

Jay's heart just about burst. "I love you," he whispered thickly, shifting closer so he could hold both his girls, "My girls."

Erin kissed the top of Piper's head as her little family flipped through the picture book. Despite Piper's small stature, the images confirmed that their little bug was growing, albeit slowly. "Now I know why you made a big deal about the iCloud," she mused, smiling at a picture of Jay and Piper at the diner that came from her phone, "Technology is something else."

He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "You take good ones too, babe. This is one of my favorites." He pointed to a picture of Piper looking up at Will, hands on her hips teasingly as the doctor made a face. "Might have made a separate copy for Will."

"I have so many good memories now," Piper murmured, running her fingertips over the picture of her and her daddy. Piper lifted her head slightly when she felt her daddy look down at her. "I had a lot of bad ones," she continued, feeling her mommy's fingers stroke her hair gently. "From when I was younger. I think that's why I got worried this morning. But now I have so many more good ones. Since the day I met you, Daddy."

Jay swallowed the lump in his throat and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Me too, baby girl," he rasped, "You saved my life. You brought me home. You made me a daddy." He sniffed slightly and brought his knuckles to Erin's cheek. "You brought me and mommy back together."

"Hey, Hailey. Thanks for coming," Erin greeted as she pulled open the front door, "Everything go okay?"

"Christmas shift was surprisingly smooth," Hailey said, adjusting her blues slightly as she entered the house. "Snipes like her gifts?"

Erin nodded and offered a smile. "Jay convinced Will that thirty minutes in the snow didn't qualify as high-intensity, so therefore it was allowed," she said, "The three of them have been out back playing with the snowball scooper he got her."

"Oh wow," Hailey chuckled, glancing out the back porch door to the snow-filled backyard. "Is Will in his scrubs?"

"Didn't even stop to change when he heard you were coming by," Erin said, smile widening when Hailey's cheeks darkened, "Jay already gave him shit for it. Do you want a beer?"

"I'm all set, thank you though." Hailey cleared her throat. "I'm uh, technically still on call this evening. I got into this bad habit of picking up holiday shifts to avoid the whole…" She gestured with her hand, hoping that Erin could read between the lines. A shift on Christmas was depressing, but it was better than reliving her childhood trauma at a family Christmas get together.

"I get it," Erin promised, easing herself back onto the couch. "Family's…complicated."

Hailey nodded and took a tentative seat on the armchair. "Yeah. Is uh, Voight here?"

Erin glanced down at her phone. "He was supposed to be," she said with a sigh, "Something came up. He'll try to stop by later but you know him." Erin managed a smile. "Family."

"Hailey!"

"Hey, Snipes," Hailey said, grinning when she saw the three Halsteads emerge through the back door. "You get the boys good with those snowballs?"

"Me and Daddy totally got Will," Piper said excitedly, her teeth chattering as Jay helped her take the snow boots off, "We're gonna do it again next time it snows after Daddy's doctor says he can do longer. And when Will remembers his snow pants."

"I think Will might be colder than you, Noodle." Erin held her arm out to the little girl, "You want to take some of my warmth?"

Piper nodded and scurried over, teeth still chattering. She gratefully settled into Erin's side. "You're like a little popsicle," she teased, running her fingers across Piper's cool features, "You feelin' okay?"

"I had lots of fun," she murmured, letting out a soft breath. "Daddy and Will get super silly when we play outside." Piper smiled when she saw her daddy tossing some clothes at his brother from the laundry room. "I bet these boys are gonna be like that too."

Erin kissed the top of Piper's head. "I hope so." She rolled her eyes when she caught sight of her partner tossing a sweatshirt at his big brother's face. "But maybe these two will be a little more behaved."

"I don't think so," Piper said knowingly, placing her little fingers gently on her mommy's belly, "I can feel them wrestling in there."

"Merry Christmas, Jay," Hank greeted, keeping his voice low, "Sorry I'm late. Did I miss all the excitement?"

Jay nodded and gestured to the living room. Erin was reclined on the couch with Piper snuggled into her side, her tiny feet tucked beneath Hailey's leg. His big brother was on the other side of Hailey, one arm wrapped around his partner's shoulders. All four members of his family were asleep while a Christmas movie played on the television. "Everyone crashed," he said lightly, wrinkling his brow when he recognized his boss's serious face. "Everything alright?"

Hank cleared his throat slightly and gestured toward the laundry room with his head. Wordlessly, Jay headed for the room after glancing into the living room to make sure everyone was still asleep. "What's wrong?" Jay asked, "You've got that look, Sarge."

"We identified two potential individuals associated with Kenny," Hanks started, holding out his hand when he saw his detective's eyes darken, "Tracked them down, but they're nowhere near Chicago. Both on parole, both appear to be on the upswing. There's no reason to believe they're an active threat at all. Everyone else in the org is either dead or in prison."

Jay rested his hands on the cool countertop behind him, attempting to slow his heart. It was a good thing that there wasn't an active threat against his family, but he still had a pit in his stomach. "What aren't you telling me?" he pressed, "What…what is it?"

"Jay. There's no threat." Hank put his hands on Jay's shoulders. "Turned over every stone I could. One of the guys is out in Rhode Island working at a body shop, got a nice girlfriend. The other's in Idaho, working at some mountain resort." He locked eyes with his detective. "You can relax."

He let out a heavy breath. He needed to trust Hank. For all of his sergeant's shortcomings, he was fiercely protective over the people he loved, and Jay knew that Hank would do anything to keep Erin safe. And that same protectiveness extended to Piper and their boys as well. "Pipes isn't back at school til the new year," he managed, "But uh, I don't know how Erin's going to handle it. Or me. I don't know if I can handle letting her out of my sight."

Hank nodded in understanding. "I go way back with the principal of Piper's school. Erica Lockhart. Grew up on the same block. After the whole thing with Davis posing as a substitute teacher and Dylan Pugliese, I floated the idea about getting a community resource officer on campus. Platt okayed it as well. Starting in January, there's going to be an officer from 21 at the front desk of Piper's school."

Jay's shoulders dropped, relief flooding his veins. He'd been exaggerating about a security detail, but he did feel a lot better knowing that someone from his district would be close by in the event anything were to happen. Based on the last year alone, Jay wasn't taking any chances. "That helps," he said gratefully, "I think…I think that will make it easier. Right now, I just can't really fathom letting her out of my sight."

"Platt will even let you vet the officer," Hank said, small smile forming on his lips. He dropped his hands from Jay's shoulders. "She loves that kid of yours. We all do." Hank folded his arms across his chest. "You doing alright?"

Jay nodded confidently. "A lot better now," he said honestly, "Pipes has been handling this week really well. I think it's helping that we're all here with her. And I think that's been good for Erin as well." He managed a smile. "We're uh, getting close. Could be any day now."

Hank's lips lifted further. "You're ready," he assured him, "You've come a real long way. And I'm damn proud of you, kid."

"'hat's wrong, babe?" Jay asked, lifting his head from the pillow when he heard an exaggerated sigh from beside him, "Contraction?"

"Every time I sigh doesn't mean it's a contraction," Erin grumbled, tilting her head back, "Your sons don't want to settle and they didn't settle last night, or the night before. And I think they're laughing at me." She gestured to her baby bump and the t shirt she had rolled up to reveal her bare stomach. "I swear, I can hear them cackling in there."

Jay resisted the urge to groan. In the days after Christmas, Erin's level of discomfort only grew. He thankfully had the time off as well, and could spend time with Piper around their house, but there was little he could to do make Erin feel better.

Despite the fact that nobody in her family was in imminent danger with her biological parents behind bars, Erin remained reluctant to let either Jay or Piper out of her sight. It helped that Piper didn't want to leave her mommy home alone (and Jay had no plans to do so either), but everyone in their family was going a little stir-crazy.

"Mm," he murmured, putting his head back down, "C'mon, guys. Night night."

Erin let out a soft grunt. "Please, guys," she begged, "I'm tired. Can you let Mommy get a few hours of sleep?" She put an arm over her eyes. "I told Noodle we could do that microscope thing tomorrow and I know she's mature but the box said parental supervision and I'm a parent."

"Babe," Jay mumbled, rolling onto his side, "It's alright. I'm off this whole week too, remember? I put in for these days like months ago. I can tackle the microscope."

"It's not fair to her if I just lay on the couch all day," Erin argued, "It's been like four days of me sitting on my ass while she's been patient and sweet and helps you do all the crap around the house and I-"

"Hey," he interrupted gently, reaching up to stroke her cheek, "It's okay."

"It's not." Erin swallowed. "She needs…she needs connection. You give that to her and last year…it took me so long to figure out the connection she needed. And I know that's why she struggled when we first moved in. If I'd done a better job of trying to connect, she wouldn't have suffered in silence with nightmares for three months. I'm not putting her through that again. I want to be there and do things with her. Like I should be able to."

"She loves you so much," Jay promised, "And she gets that you're growing two babies. Our bug might be little but she's also observant and she knows when Mommy needs a rest. All she wants is to be close. She loves sitting with you on the couch."

Erin sniffed. "Except now I'm so hot and sweaty I feel bad even touching her," she lamented, grabbing his hand to place on her body. "Feel my skin. You feel how hot that is?"

Jay grimaced when his fingers connected with Erin's neck. His girl was hot and clammy. "Sorry, babe," he said, shifting the covers off himself, "I know this is tough."

"Don't…don't leave," she said, her face falling when she saw her fiancé climb out of bed, "I'm know I'm being annoying."

He shook his head quickly. "You're not annoying. I'm just going to try to make you a more comfortable, see if I can cool you down a little." He offered a small smile. "One sec."

She let out another aspirated sigh. "You only ever heat me up," she called after him, "Maybe it would help if you didn't look so damn good in those sweatpants. Same ones your fiancé has been stretching out since nothing else in this sauna of a house fits."

Jay returned from the bathroom, several washcloths in hand. "I bought these like this," he insisted, tugging at the waistband of his sweats, "I remember the day I picked them out at the store. Four years ago. I had this partner who casually slipped into conversation that she thought it was hot when she could see a little…you know." He winked and Erin's cheeks flushed slightly. "I find it incredibly hot that you wear my pants, babe."

"Mm," she muttered, "See, I wish it wasn't so hot. Because I'm really hot right now." Erin turned her head to meet his baby blues. "I know I promised myself we'd never cool it again but maybe you could just put a shirt on so Mama doesn't implode."

He chuckled lightly and sank beside her. "Let's try this," he said, carefully placing a cool washcloth on her neck. "I'll see if I can cool you down a little."

Erin closed her eyes in appreciation for the coolness of the cloth. "That feels amazing."

Jay smiled and gently ran another cloth across her tummy. "C'mon guys. We know you're in there, but it's nighttime. And your big sister is setting a good example by settling down at a reasonable hour." He pressed a kiss to Erin's belly. "And you already got a story tonight."

A small smile played on her lips. "She is setting such a good example," she breathed, opening her eyes to glance up at the baby monitor. Their little bug was sleeping soundly. "Sweet little Noodle. She's been doing well this week too."

He hummed in agreement. "She loves being home with us," he said softly, "We're…we're safe for her. And when she feels safe, we get to see that spunky side of her. She got two stories out of me tonight with just those Lindsay eyes."

"I think they want another one too," Erin mumbled, a steady breath blowing through her lips when one of the boys fluttered. She was already feeling better and miraculously, the boys were settling. "There are two Halsteads in here, so that means two stories. And one for me also, since I'm almost a Halstead."

Jay chuckled again. "Whatever Mama says, goes," he said knowingly, running the cloth along her arms, "Let's see. What kind of story should I tell?"

"You haven't decided on names yet?" Will asked, putting his palm to his face, "Are you kidding me? My nephews are going to come out unnamed?" He shook his head. "Unless you really are considering Will and Jay Junior-"

"We are not," Jay interrupted, handing his brother a mug of coffee, "We have some names we like, but it's hard. They have to sound good together. They have to sound good with a middle name. Their names can't be too stuffy sounding." He gestured with his head to Erin who was seated in her usual spot on the couch, running her fingers through Piper's hair. Their sweet little girl was looking through the picture book that Jay had made for Christmas. It was quite possibly the most heart-melting thing to see her looking over all the pictures, as if she couldn't believe that the life captured in images was her own.

"Alexander Halstead is a stuffy name, babe," Erin called, "Neither of our boys is an Alexander."

"It's my middle name," Jay replied, "You think my middle name is stuffy?"

"Jay Alexander Halstead," Will chortled, accompanying his little brother's full name with an exaggerated English accent. "Very posh."

"Like yours is better," Jay retorted, taking a sip from his coffee, "What did that kid down the street used to call you? Mr. President?"

"You wish you had a presidential sounding name." Will folded his arms across his chest, "But seriously, you two should figure out their names. Otherwise they're going to be A and B forever."

"Already considered that," Erin said, resting her head against Piper's as the child flipped through the pictures, "We'll pick something. We have time."

"Time?" Will's eyes widened. "Er, you're thirty-three weeks soon. Don't you-" He stopped when Jay hit him in the shoulder with the back of his hand. "Ow."

"You can thank Daddy later," Piper informed him, looking up from the book with a cheeky smile. She brought her hand back to her mommy's cheek. "We're being positive."

Erin kissed the side of her baby girl's head. It wasn't lost on her that Will was just trying to help, but her patience was at an all-time low. With the new year around the corner, Piper was just about the only person who could keep her steady. As incredible a partner as Jay was, even he understood his limits. Nothing about her felt rational or sane. "I'm just tired," she said lamely, managing a small smile, "And hungry."

"Will brought those muffins from the place with all the green stuff hanging from the ceiling," Jay offered, "You want one too, kiddo?"

Both of his girls nodded. "Will might be my favorite Halstead," Erin mused, rubbing her bump gently, "I was totally craving one of those muffins."

"I don't think I could ever take that spot," Will replied, "Munchkin's got that spot locked down."

"Mm," she murmured, burying her nose in Piper's hair, "My best girl." She beamed when Piper giggled. "And the only person I'd share a muffin with."

"You're sharing with the boys," Piper reminded her, giving Erin's tummy a gentle pat, "They love muffins too." She paused. "Hailey said she had a new muffin recipe that we should try. When she came a few days ago." The little girl titled her head to the side thoughtfully. "But she hasn't been here since Christmas." Piper widened her eyes. "Did you do something bad?"

Jay immediately shot a look to Will. "Dude, I swear-"

"We're fine," Will promised, "Really. Don't kill me, either of you." He raised his hands in the air. "She was helping out Robbery Homicide with a case and it got busy. I didn't do anything." He looked from Piper to Jay. "Sheesh. I really met the firing squad when I decided to stop by this morning."

Piper appeared to relax slightly. "You gotta be good to her," she said seriously, "Like Daddy is with Mommy." She offered a sweet smile. "And me."

Jay's heart swelled. "Dr. Halstead is a good one," he told her confidently, "He knows who he's up against if anything goes wrong."

Will snorted. "Oh trust me, I know." He smiled at Piper. "You want to help me with some planning, Munchkin? I know you're the mastermind behind all my brother's good ideas."

"I'm not the mastermind," Piper said, "I just help." A coy smile played on her lips. "Oh. You wanna borrow me to get girls again?"

We're getting close to the boys and I'm so excited except it means we're getting close to this installment ending...which means I really need to build out the next. I'm trying a few different things to see what sticks and pulling in a few requests but if you have immediate post-baby requests, let me know!