A/N: First of all, I am so sorry for leaving for this long. For a while my life went to shit and I was on hiatus for a few months while I tried to figure some things out. Thankfully, things are looking better and I've been able to crunch out this final chapter. I definitely mulled over it here and there—feeling quite inadequate if I'm being honest and I felt pretty rusty. I hope I was able to do justice based on how I left it off. Please read the A/N at the end as well. Thank you for everything!

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Things have been calm since the ambush.

The attack by the Taliban had been unsuccessful and the US had sent more troops as reinforcements to discourage the terrorists from trying something that risky again.

Jay will get to go home in less than two months now; he counts down the days almost constantly. Things have become more mundane again—it's something he both welcomes and doesn't. The lack of distractions always results in him thinking about that night.

He looks forward to going home. Ever since the attack, he's always been on edge. His anxiety is always heightened and sometimes he can't even stop his hands from shaking constantly.

Patrols have become routine and thankfully, nothing goes wrong often. Ever since the attack and reinforcements, everyone has been a bit timid of the American soldiers. They're more wrapped up in clothing now as the weather has been consistently colder; their faces are completely covered, providing an extra sense of anonymity.

Whenever they visit villages, Jay chooses against taking the luxury of having a nap. Lugging around all the gear is tiring but whenever he closes his eyes, all he can see is blood dripping onto the dirt from the hand hanging off the bed. He knows when he's out he's going to need help; but right now that help won't come for him. He's still stranded halfway across the world for another eight weeks.

There are good parts of the day—like when the crew plays a game of pickup soccer with the kids in the village. It's a welcome distraction to the usual stuff that goes on around them and he knows that the kids revel in the positive attention as well. Since meeting Erin, Jay has tried to bring forth the kindness she has shown him to those who live near the base; he wants those people to know that the military isn't exclusively about guns and violence. Often, he fights with himself on whether or not he really is a decent person; many days he can't agree that he is.

When they get back to base, the first thing he always does is get his gear off. It's heavy and since he forgoes the break, he's forced to carry his equipment around all day. A snack and drink of water is next on his list. He always wants to be at his prime and should there be another ambush, he wants to be prepared.

He wasn't the last time.

He can't afford another incident like the first.

Jay had just gulped down some cold water when someone called out to him.

"Halstead, there's a package for you."

He's going home.

He's finally done.

At the beginning of his tour, he wasn't so sure about going home; there wasn't anyone who would be there to welcome him and he had no idea or plan to get started on his civilian life again. But after meeting her, everything seemed to change.

Erin had brought something back to his life. Happiness, maybe. Hope.

Hope that one day he will be okay; that one day he will be able to put one foot in front of the other without ever dwelling on things that happened in the past. He would dare to say or think that he had the slightest bit of hope that came back into view—he couldn't afford the disappointment. Not when he was this vulnerable. That's what scared him the most; he wasn't sure if he could adapt to life back home again. The military was all he knew for the past few years. He had no idea where to start.

He's sitting with a group of men and women from his base that had also been discharged in the Frankfurt Airport. Their final flight home was set to take off in a few hours. Rather than going straight to Chicago, Jay would be staying in New York for a month.

The latest tour had taken a toll on him. Even though it was for a significantly shorter time compared to his first, the firefights had been enough to make him need an extended vacation—time to do whatever he desired. As cliche as it was, he wanted to be a typical New York tourist; but he probably would forego the t-shirt.

Jay dozes off in his seat and is awakened by the sound of the attendants announcing boarding for his flight. Shaking out of his stupor, he makes his way onto his final flight before getting home.

He can hardly hold in the anxiety—a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

Once he arrives, he places her down softly on the bed; it's here he finally realizes he's crying. He goes to wipe his eyes when he notices blood covering his hands—his knees begin to shake and he thinks he's going to be sick. The medic begins to rip Erin's shirt off of her and begins to place heart rate leads all over her chest. Her right hand hangs off of the bed and not wanting her to be alone through this, Jay takes a few steps towards her.

The memory is so fresh in his mind that it feels like yesterday—he can feel his body reacting to the stress. His hands shake and his breathing quickens. The new city doesn't do anything to calm his nerves. New York is an interesting place. Everyone there looks like her, or maybe it's just his brain playing tricks on him. He's not too sure.

After grabbing his bag from baggage claim, Jay makes his way towards the exit of the airport. Before even getting out of the doors, he can see the plethora of cabs that make New York what it is; the smell of the city hits him hard in the face.

But before he leaves through the doors, a sound draws his attention. It forces him to stop and turn towards the noise and when he sees what the commotion is, it makes him weak in the knees.

Before he gets to her, hands wrap around Jay's shoulders and begin to push him backwards, ushering him out of the tent before the flaps are closed, cutting off any sight of her.

Her arm is still in a sling, he's sure the force of her running is exacerbating any pain—she's had to have a couple of reconstruction surgeries since she got back from Afghanistan. Instead of going back to DC, for the time being she decided to come home to her family.

Her favourite person also happened to mention how he's never been to New York before.

Erin can't believe the day is finally here; she barely got sleep the night before which she knows has to be bad for her shoulder. For a month after the incident, all she could do was sleep the day away—not having the energy or desire to stay awake long. The concoction of drugs in her system also kept her off her feet for a while so finally getting to go out and about the last few weeks has been a relief.

Her mother had been a saint, always going out and mailing the packages and getting items from the store to include in the package. Beef jerky was always on top of the list.

Slowly, Erin had been building her energy back up, and great timing too. She had waited too long for this, even though it's only been a couple months.

The pounding sound of feet on the tile had forced him to look towards the noise, and when he noticed what the 'disturbance' was, he felt his knees shake. By reflex, he drops his bags, anticipating her body to come crashing into his.

She caught him just in the nick of time. Maybe in the last letter they should've discussed further about where they would meet. He is new to the city after all.

Jay cannot keep his eyes off of her. He wasn't sure it was possible, but she looks even more beautiful now. Her eyes are bright and her skin is glowing. Maybe some time in New York has done her well too.

His heart sinks, however, when he notices the sling again and remembers the fear in her eyes back in Afghanistan. Suddenly the memory of that day replays in his mind.

Hearing his deep sigh, Erin brings her free hand towards his, squeezing tightly. Their eyes meet and there's something about the light in hers that comforts him. She slides towards him in the back of the cab—her shoulder currently preventing her from driving—and moves her face a mere few inches from his before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

They can both feel each other smiling into the kiss. She pulls away first, much to his disappointment. But when she lays against his shoulder—fitting exactly like a puzzle piece that had been missing for ages—he can't help but bring his arm around her and closer towards him. The content sigh she releases makes his heart flutter.

It was then, in the back of the musty cab, that Jay felt something. Something he hadn't felt for a long time.

Safety maybe? Relief?

It was at this time that Jay thought maybe he would be okay after all.

Especially with his girl by his side.

A/N 2: Okay so this is the end of this fic. Originally I had planned out for a second part (hence why I called this "The Beginning"). I'm unsure if I'm still going to do it as I prefer to write one shots (and those will probably be what I write from here on out) and everything I have planned for "The Aftermath" is a bit long and angsty. I'm curious if you would like to see me write that as well, but if you do I'd request some patience as sometimes the writing muse disappears and I can't write a thing. Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know!