They left Chicago early Saturday morning and arrived in Henry around eleven that morning. They dropped Emery off at Tessa's and went two blocks over to the house. Erin unlocked the door and walked in slowly.

"Are you ok?" Jay asked.

"Yeah it's just weird being here. Follow me her room is up here"

They got upstairs and Jay started taking pieces of her bed down one by one. Erin looked around the room and in the bathroom to make sure Emery hadn't forgotten anything. She opened the closet and in the back corner was a shoe box. She grabbed it and opened it to see what was inside. They were all Emery's journals she had kept throw-out high school. She walked over to Emery's desk and leaned up against it. She opened one of them and began reading. Most of it was happy at first but then it took a turn Erin never expected.

"My mom brought me home today and it was before dad got home so I came up to my room. I finally heard the front door open but it wasn't just him there was some girl with him. She saw a picture and asked who I was. He told her I was the worst mistake of his life that he loved me but he didn't want to be stuck raising me. If it wasn't for my grandma he would have never fought for me. In that very moment I realized why he always worked, he never came to my games or took me do anything. He always just gives me money to make me go away. I didn't tell my mom even though I should have called her when it happened but I don't plan on telling her. She is busy and I understand, but also because I know it wouldn't end well, they already fight every time the see each other anyways. He said he loved me he didn't want me but he loves me and that is just going to have to be enough right now." Erin read.

"What you got there?" Jay asks.

"My daughter's journal" She says upset.

"What's wrong?"

"Read this."

Jay quickly scans over the page and he instantly becomes upset.

"I should have known something was wrong with her. This was two years ago Jay."

"I think she told me or she was trying to. That day I took her to the boxing gym and gun range, she thanked me for being a father figure she said her dad never did anything with her. That he was always working." He said.

"You took her to the gun range?"

"Yes, but that's not important right now. Our daughter needs us."

"Our daughter?" she asked puzzled.

"Your daughter, sorry."
"It's ok I like the sound of that." Erin says with a smile.

"You should talk to her on the way home. See if you can get anything out of her." He says.

"I will." She says kissing him.

Jay took the last part of the bed to the truck and then came back up for the dresser. Erin helped him get the dresser out of the house and to the truck. The she did a last run through of Emery's room. When she found nothing she grabbed the journals and headed for the car.

"Meet me at Tessa's we will take the girl's for lunch before we go home." She says.

They go get the girls and head to Dairy Queen which was the girl's favorite place. Tessa and Emery didn't shut up the entire ride there they were excited to be back together it was the longest they had ever been apart.

"Oh Tessa by the way this Jay." Emery says sitting down at the table

"Oh so you're the infamous jay Erin is always talking about."

"Funny I seem to recall another girl saying the same thing when I met her. Erin you need to stop telling these girls things about me it makes it look like you like me or something." Jay says mocking her.

"Shut up. Before you wear my chocolate milkshake." Erin says.

They all laugh and go on with their conversations. Erin hadn't forgotten about what she read but she wasn't going to bring it up right that second.

They dropped Tessa off and everyone said their goodbyes. It was always hard when Emery had to leave her, she gave her a big hug and then got in the car with her mom. They waved good bye as they followed Jay out of her driveway. The car ride was quiet and peaceful for a little while at least.

"Emery, did you ever hear your father say anything bad about you?" She asked.

"No." She finally said after a long pause as she stared out the window.

"But you would have told me if he did right?"

"Yeah, you'd be the first person to know."

Erin didn't know if she was more upset Emery lied to her again or if she was upset at herself for not seeing it.

"I found a box of these in your closet." Erin said grabbing the one journal from between the door and her seat.

"Why are you even reading my stuff?" Emery says snatching it from her mother.

"I found them. Why didn't you tell me your dad said those awful things? Why didn't you tell me he never spent time with you?" Erin asked.

"Because if I told you I would have had to move to Chicago. I didn't want to leave my school or friends. He said he loved me every day, I just made that enough. I never stayed home unless I had too." Emery says crying.

Erin pulled the car over and comforted her daughter. She felt like a failure how could she not see that Dylan was neglecting their daughter.

"You guys always seemed close while I was there." Erin says

"I was pretending, I wasn't happy at home but if I wasn't there life was great." she says.

"Baby, I am so sorry." the young mom says.

"I was upset when he died but I was also relieved as bad as that sounds. Jay is more of a dad to me than he was." Emery says.

"Well I'm glad you have Jay to treat you how your father should have." Erin said at this point irate at Dylan.

"Mom can we just go home please?"

"Sure thing."

They got back to Chicago around five and instead of going to the apartment they pulled up in front of a house.

"Mom where are we?"

"This is our new home. I'm renting it for us the apartment is too small for all three of us." Erin says with a smirk.

"All three?" Emery asks already knowing the answer.

"Jay is going to move in with us, if that's all right?"

"Of course it is."

"Go ahead and head inside, pick your room. There are three rooms the one downstairs is ours so you have two you can pick from."

Emery went inside and started looking around. She went into the kitchen and found her grandfather standing there. He was there because Dawson and himself moved all their stuff in that day while they were gone. She hadn't been face to face with Hank since the day he showed her the files. When she was at the precinct she did everything to avoid him.

"Hey kid." He said.

"Hi." She said back and then quickly turned and went the other way.

"Still avoiding you?" Erin asked walking into the kitchen.

"Yep, but at least she's being more respectful." He says as jay walks in.

"Hey where is Dawson I need help with this stuff?"

"He went to get some coffee should be back soon." Hank says.

Jay started carrying in things that he didn't need help with and took them upstairs to the room Emery picked on the right side of the hall. Erin told Hank about what she found in Emery's old room while the other two were upstairs.

"He did what?" Hank said pissed off.

"I don't know why he just didn't bring her back to me when his mother died."

"He's lucky he's dead because I would have killed him myself if he wasn't." Hank says.

"I think part of the reason she's acting out is for attention because once he died she had no reason to fake being happy anymore. I am not saying it's an excuse and she is still in trouble but I think now that we know the acting out will calm down." Erin said.

"Maybe I should talk to her about it. Also the other half of her punishment might not be necessary. I scared her enough the first time."

"What were you going to do?"

"Make her run a couple miles and then clean my house top to bottom. Making her scrub the floors with a toothbrush."

"Yeah I think the talk and whatever you did the other night will work so let's do that. If it doesn't stop then you can do the corporal punishment thing." Erin says with a giggle.

Hank went to talk with Emery while Erin unpacked boxes and the guys brought the rest if the stuff in. The young girl explained to him why she did what she did and then apologized again before he even said a word to her.

"That's not why I'm up here. I want you to tell me about your dad. Tell me the truth and the second half of your punishment isn't needed but if you do something stupid again I will bring it back."

Emery sat there and told him everything she had told her mom. Hank was furious and there was none for him to yell at. He didn't understand how someone could treat their child they fought for like that when the other parent gave their everything to that child.

"Kid, I love you. I wouldn't trade you for the world. You are the best thing that ever happened to your mother and the only mistake here is that a man like that was your father."

"It's ok because I have a pretty great grandpa who taught me how a man should treat me and did things with me all the time. Still does. I am still really sorry about New York. I know I shouldn't have lied. It really won't happen ever again." Emery says with a big smile.

"Come here kid." Hank says wrapping her in a big hug.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Now let's head down stairs."

They organized stuff and put everything where it should go. Emery was tired and ready for bed but she got a text as soon as she headed upstairs. It was Cody and he wanted to see her since he just got home. Emery thought about sneaking out but she quickly shoved that idea out of her head. She head back downstairs and walked up to her parents on the couch.

"I'm asking you so please just consider it." She says.

"What's up?"

"Can I go see Cody for an hour? One of you can drive me and then pick me back up. Please."

Erin looked at Jay and then back at her daughter. She thought about it for a minute and figured why not.

"You can go but we are both driving you. You have one hour and that's it." Erin said.

Emery nodded her head then slid her shoes on. They all piled into the truck because Jay thought it looked more threatening. They pulled up outside his apartment building and Jay got out with Emery. Erin rolled down the window and watched them both.

"What are you doing?"

"Walking you up. I want to meet this kid."

"No that wasn't part of the deal."

"I don't care, I want to know what his intentions are."

"Relax, Jay he has a bullet wound and I have a concussion we aren't going to have sex. Plus we are just friends. We've kissed a few times but that's it. So kill the over protective dad stuff."

"He tries anything I'll kill him."

"Mom, control him."

"Jay get back in the car."

Jay listened to Erin and got back in the car. They watched Emery walk up to the door and wait to be buzzed in. She walked inside and down the hall to his apartment. She knocked and waited for him to come to the door.

"Hey."

"Hi." Emery said softly kissing him.

"I'm so happy nothing happened to you."

"I'm sorry I didn't come see you in the hospital they wouldn't let me and my parents made me come home." Emery said.

"It's ok. I'm just happy I get to see you again."

"Not for long my mom has me on a short leash since I lied to her and left the state. I'm eighteen but they don't care. They think I did it just to be rebellious and that wasn't my intentions."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to get you in trouble with you mom."

"It's ok, I'm just glad you're ok." Emery says kissing him.

They made out for a little while and then talked a little more. Cody was really interested in her and asked if she would want to date him instead of just the casually make out session. Emery was over the moon when she heard those words come out of his mouth and she of course said yes. Just then her phone started ringing.

"Hello." She said.

"Times up let's go." Jay said.

"Fine." she said hanging the phone up.

"I have to go but I'll come over tomorrow my parents have to go do paperwork at the precinct they missed work Monday so they decided to make it up. Maybe I can convince them to let me come over instead of to the precinct."

"Sounds good." He says kissing her goodbye at the door.

She walked back out to the truck and got in. They both were staring at her.

"What?"

"He kissed you didn't he."

"No we just hugged. Now can we go home I want to go to bed."

They drive home and all go to bed. Emery decided she would just ask them about going back tomorrow morning instead so Jay didn't stay up all night thinking of ways to kill Cody. Emery would never admit it but she liked his over protectiveness it was something she never got to experience. Erin and Jay didn't go to bed right when they got back they sat and discussed somethings concerning Emery.

"Thank you." she says laying her head on his shoulder.

"For what?" He asks.

"Being the dad she deserves." She says looking up at him.