Hi, so here is another chapter and I hope that you enjoy it. I will keep this short and sweet and hopefully I will be able to bring you the next one sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine other than the character of Bridget.

Please Read and Review.

What Lies Buried

Chapter 14-Damage Is Done

Some time has passed and all seems well. Except it's Bridget's birthday and neither she nor Hank know really what to do. But a missing kid, a shootout in the middle of the night, a gang war, backstreet surgery and the arrival of Will Halstead might be a good distraction nonetheless.

November 2015

"Hey. Do you want to go out for your birthday or do you want to do something in the apartment? I just wanna know because I need to take time off if you want to go out"

That was Jay over breakfast and Bridget winced. She had been studiously avoiding the 'B' word.

"I don't think I want to do anything"

"Oh don't be stupid. We always do something"

"This hasn't been a regular year though has it?"

Jay looked at her over his coffee mug and then set the thing down.

Bridget didn't want to meet his eyes because she knew the look that was going to be there and quite frankly she'd had enough of pity for a lifetime.

"Look…we should celebrate, your seventeen…and it would be nice to do something. Remember what Mom used to say—you have to celebrate the good moments so let's do that"

Bridget tapped her nails against the rim of her mug.

"It's…well…there's the other thing isn't there?"

"What other thing?"

She shot him a look but Jay—God bless him was so innocent he didn't understand.

Lucky him.

"What do we do about Hank?"

"What about—oh—"

"Yep" she said popping the P.

"I didn't even think about that"

"Lucky you. Cause I have been thinking about nothing else"

Jay eyed her.

"Maybe he doesn't know—never mind—look—do you want me to talk to him? I can do that—"

"And say what that the daughter he just found out is alive after seventeen years of abject hell doesn't know if she wants to spend her birthday with him? Yeah cause that will be fun won't it?"

"Has he said anything to you?"

"No…come on Jay you know what it's like. It's good at the minute and were fine but…I would just be a lot happier if we pretended like this was not a big deal so can we please not mention it"

"Alright" Jay said. "But it's a moot point cause Erin also knows when your birthday is and she will say something"

"Then I will deflect"

"How?"

"I'll just tell Hank your having sex with his foster daughter on his actual daughter's kitchen table"

Jay spat out his coffee.

Bridget tipped her head back and laughed.

The Halstead duo came up bickering. Jay wining about how his shirt was covered in coffee and Bridget looking rather pleased with herself. They were mid case though Jay had not been there the night that they had managed to get the drugs out of the van with strawberries in it and the two of them got to work as if it was normal, Jay looking up information and Bridget logging on and taking to filing away a case that had involved Firehouse 51 and the bastard that had killed Leslie Shay.

So it was clear to her that they were dancing around the obvious. So was Hank. He had been perfectly nice to both of them but had not asked the obvious question and Erin wanted to kick him because it was plain for all to see that he needed an answer even if it was just to put him out of his misery once and for all.

What was Bridget doing for her birthday?

They got in the car to go and speak to the suspect. Or one of them anyway. The main one Charles had Hank's card and Erin who still had the same card tapped to her locker knew what that meant to him. Jay didn't and Jay and Hank butted heads more often that not because they were alike even though neither one of them would admit it.

"So?"

"So what? Everyone on this street is a snitch—"

"Not the case…Bridget"

"What about her?"

"What's she doing for her birthday? And more specifically is she inviting Hank to celebrate with her?"

"Erin look I get that you are always gonna be on Voight's side but she's my sister and I am always gonna be on hers"

"I know that Jay but…he's killing himself inside trying not to hope"

Jay shot her a look.

"He seems to be doing fine. It's like the old Voight has returned. Everyone doing everything to solve the crime except him because the suspect is someone he knew once upon a time"

Erin let that go. There was never going to be the right time to explain to Jay just what Voight did for the people he gave that card out too. It was what she had done for Nadia. Until he gave one out himself she was sure that Jay wouldn't know.

"He may look fine but he's living and dying with each second Jay. He's on the edge of suspense with this. This is the first birthday where he actually knows that his kid is alive and he wants to celebrate it with her but he's terrified that if he says anything Bridget's gonna end up back in New York. Or worse…"

Jay opened his mouth to say something and then closed it.

The building where Adam and Kevin where had just been set on fire which was a good enough distraction so when they got back in the car Erin didn't meant the complicated relationship that existed between his sister and her biological father that nobody seemed to understand.

Explaining anything was annoying. Explaining to Jay about Charles and his Mom was annoying. He had a trust with everyone else on this team including Antonio who had put him in prison as well and yet with Jay…it was there. Most of the time but the real stuff was just out of reach.

Jay said nothing as he told him just stared at the two way mirror.

"You know…I don't even begin to understand you or how hard it's been for you. What my Dad did I don't…but…you can just ask her you know?"

"Bridget?"

"Yeah. Just ask her about her birthday. I think…I think she does want you there I just don't think she knows how to ask you. Might be easier if you ask her"

Hank considered this. He was not going to lie and say that spending his daughters birthday with his actual daughter for the first time in seventeen years wasn't something he wanted with every fibre of his being but he was also not going to barge his way through a door if he wasn't welcome.

"What she scared of me or something?"

He didn't mean for it to come out as a question but it did.

Jay eyed him appraisingly.

"Not you. I think…just the idea of you"

"Huh?"

"Look you saw Pat, you've heard enough to know that a caring father he was not and…and it's odd. To think that there's someone out there that cares enough to keep looking even after a decade. Hell it scares me. But look…she can't keep making the decisions and she can't keep coming to you hoping that she's going to get something out of it. You sometimes have to go to her and tell her what you want. So for the love of God Hank just put us all out of our misery and ask her if you can spend her birthday with her"

"Ok"

"Wait—what—huh"

There was silence for a second and then…

"You don't like sushi do you?"

"Sushi? That raw fish with seaweed? No why?"

"So if she asks you to take her and by definition me to a sushi bar you'll say no?"

Hank paused. Jay shot him a look.

"Oh no Sarge please look raw fish does things to my insides—"

"Jay shut up. I hate raw fish"

"Oh thank god. And just to clarify if she gets something in her head about tofu-"

"Tofu? Jesus Jay what did your parents raise her on?"

"Steak and potatoes nine times out of ten but this is Bridget. She classes herself as a foodie and she's liberal with her seasoning."

"—How liberal"

Jay shot him a loaded look.

"Liberal. Don't get her to cook curry unless you like it scorching and for the love of God Hank never let her near shellfish she'll put you in an early grave. Other than that she's ok. Though she does tend to leave empties in the fridge"

He laughed, he couldn't help himself and it was the little things like this that he loved hearing about. It was those little quirks that he had missed out on and that he wanted to hear about time and time again and he could never forgive Pat Halstead for that.

Never.

The door opened and Bridget her hair tied in a knot on the top of her head stuck her head through the door. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Perhaps Jay had a point. Perhaps it was easier to just ask rather than let her do the asking.

"We've got a problem"

"The Team?"

"No Jay you and me"

"What happened?"

Bridget rolled her heavily lined eyes to the heavens in the very image of a teenager.

"Will happened?"

"Will?"

"Yep. He's at Pat's old drinking joint and of course it kicked off because someone said something and Will said something and—"

"Will's in Chicago?"

"Yes and patrol turned up so he's asking can you please get him before he gets arrested. And did you know he was coming down?"

"No"

"This wasn't about…tomorrow?"

Jay shot her a look.

"No. Boss can I…?"

"Go"

Jay left.

That just left the two of them and Bridget came into the room to stand next to him watching the suspect through the glass.

Just ask her.

Why did his inner voice have to sound like his wife?

"So…tomorrow's your birthday?"

Bridget said nothing.

"Look…I'm just gonna ask ok? I want to spend the day with you. Because I missed out on sixteen years worth of birthdays and your Mom…she…she wrote cards and letters and did a cake every year and this is the first time that I can actually be there. So…can I?"

"She wrote cards?"

"Yeah"

"Do you still have them?"

That threw him for a loop.

"Err…yeah and I did as well…after she…did you want them?"

"I…I don't know." She turned to look at him and her face was raw with honesty.

"It's easier with you because your hear you know? I can see you and talk to you and…and Pat never talked about a Dad you know? When he was building up the image of my life it was always my Mom that was the person who dumped me and so it was easy to hate her—and now I know—it's hard to hate her"

"It would have been hard to hate her if you had known her"

And then it burst out of him.

"God I wish I could have gotten you back in time for you to meet her"

It was his biggest regret, it was always going to be his biggest regret. That Camille didn't get to see the incredible woman that their daughter had turned into and that was all on him no matter what absolution she had given him before her death.

"Yeah I wish…I wish I had met her as well"

She was back to staring at the wall again and he was relieved because it gave him enough time to get himself under control enough so that when he spoke next he spoke normally.

"Listen about—"

"You should come"

She was still staring at the two way mirror.

"Yeah?"

Christ he sounded like he had when Camille had asked him out for the first time.

"Yeah. It's just…well…it's Jay and Will you know and I'd have to ask them and I don't know what we're going to do and—hey do you like—"

"Sushi no?"

She shot him a look of amusement.

"Jay got to you didn't he?"

"Didn't have to. Seaweed belongs on a beach not wrapped around cold rice"

Bridget gave a theatrical put upon sigh that Justin had employed all through his teens.

"Fine. Can you do pizza?"

"Yeah I can manage pizza"

"Oh good. Do you think…will this case be done by the eight-tomorrow night?"

"Oh it will be done" he said darkly. This was the first time he got to spend his daughter's birthday with her instead of writing a card in the dark and reading a case file that had long gone cold. Even if he had to drag Charles in kicking and screaming one way or another, come hell or high water this case was being solved in time.

Will watched as Hank Voight came out of the corridor. Jay had nudged him to point him out as they were in the break room and he peered through the open door getting a look at the man who was his sister's biological father.

"You know from a certain angle…"

"I know" Jay said darkly. "It's creepy. They have the same stare. You know the one that she used to use when Mom wanted her to pull her math grade up"

"Vividly. She gave it to us when we told Todd McManus to stay away from her in eighth grade"

Jay chuckled.

"Yeah but he did didn't he? You know he's doing a dime in Statesville now?"

"Never did like him"

At that exact moment Bridget came out. She took one look at them both and grinned.

"Will" she hugged him and Will hugged her back. God he had missed his little sister—not living with her—but he had missed her.

Over the top of Bridget's head he could see Hank Voight assessing the three of them in their natural family unit—which had always been them verses Pat.

He didn't look at them as a threat. He looked at them as if he was genuinely curious.

"Hey Hank this is Will my other brother"

Will caught Jay's eye who shrugged. In New York Bridget had barely mentioned Hank Voight other than when she had told him some of the story. And then when she had talked out him it was always Voight.

Clearly somewhere down the line things had gotten better.

"Hello" he said politely holding out his hand. Hank Voight shook it with a nod.

Okay then.

"Will how long are you here?"

"Well…I was thinking for good"

Jay shot him a look. Bridget grinned.

"Brilliant! Be like it was when we were kids all over again"

Well that was overcompensating. He caught Jay's eye and his brother shrugged. Clearly the mood swings were common.

"Yeah. Here's my keys, why don't you and get settled and—"

"I'll come too and help" Bridget said brightly. "Unless…" she turned to her…Christ what the hell was he supposed to call the man…boss…father?

"Do you need me?"

"Nah you can go"

Bridget nodded and then went for her bag and as she did the reason for her happy mood was suddenly made painfully clear.

"So I said Hank could come over on my birthday. I just thought it would be the four of us and we'd do pizza or something"

"Fine" Jay said clearly they were going with this and Will nodded even though he was so utterly confused.

Hank Voight said nothing but Will could see that the man was pleased and he remembered with a sharpness that this would probably be the first time he got to spend Bridget's birthday with her.

"So your good?"

Bridget turned to see Will watching her.

"As good as"

"Oh. Because when you were in New York you were bad. Very, very bad. And I don't just mean the fact that you were beaten half to a pulp. Which by the way has healed up real good I mean…"

"I know what you mean Will"

"So you wanna explain it?"

She shrugged. It was hard to explain it.

"I just…I realised that I wasn't the victim in all of this. Not really because I had a great life. I had you and I had Jay and Mom and he…he really didn't know if I was alive or dead. He gave away a baby and never saw her again and that must make you want to lie down on the floor and never get up and he's…he's really ok once you get to know him. He helps when it counts and ok so he might not be perfect but he's…it's good. And I want it to be good. I don't want to be miserable all the time. So I am moving on. I've still got Jay and you and…and I'm happy"

Will tried to parcel through those words to the meaning underneath. With Bridget you had to do that as she had a tendency to ramble. He thought about it and nodded. She didn't need to hear his opinion which was that he suspected the shoe to Bridget's newfound happiness was going to drop. And soon.

Just then his phone rang. It was Jay. He looked at the window. It was dark and late. What the hell was he doing calling this late?

"Jay?"

Will arrived at the house within ten minutes. Bridget dressed in leggings and a jumper came with.

Jay opened the door.

"Seriously?"

"She got in the car and wouldn't budge Jay I'm good but not that good and I was under the impression it was rather urgent I was here"

Jay said nothing but showed them both into the dining room where a table had been stripped and a man was bleeding on it next to Hank Voight who did not look best pleased.

Great.

It was a two bullet job and both were lodged in pretty deep.

It was like the Sudan all over again. Will missed that. Not the heat of course, not the sand that got in everywhere and he meant, everywhere but the fact that he was actually doing something good and helping people.

"Bridget go and get me a blanket. Jay lock up upstairs"

That was Voight and Bridget took the mother with her leaving the two of them in a room with an unconscious bleeding male.

Fantastic.

Will shouldn't. He really shouldn't.

But he did.

"She likes you, you know"

Voight carefully looked at him. Will carefully didn't look back.

"What was she like?"

Then he did.

"Huh?"

"Growing up. What was she like?"

And suddenly he understood. Because the way Voight was looking at him right now showed what Bridget had been saying because Will might have thought this man the bad guy but he was actually not.

Not really.

He was just a guy who had lost a baby and found her again all grown up.

"Honestly? She was a right hell raiser. We all were. Only Jay and I were open about our rebellions. Bridget was as stealthy as a sniper attack"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. She used to rescue animals she found, stray cats and the like and feed em. She used to leave milk out at night so of course we were overrun with them and then when she got out of that phase she moved silently to the hike up your school skirt, wear eyeliner, flirt with boys stage. Never had a boyfriend though"

"Good"

Seriously did Jay not find the one word answers awkward?

"And she took no prisoners. She found out one of the kids in our school was being bullied because she came out and she went insane. Slammed the main bullies head into the locker room door and managed to out fight another three. Mom came to pick her up to see her bruised and bleeding and Rambo next door giving her fighting tips"

Hank Voight laughed. It was a genuine laugh and Will smiled pulling out the first bullet.

It was at that point that the lights went out.

And that was how he and Bridget ended up with a terrified Mom, and a bleeding kid under the stairs of a house while his brother and his boss who was actually his sister's father (Good Lord) walked around the house shooting armed intruders.

Yeah this was legitimately his life now.

Great.

"So all in all not one of your best birthday's Bridge"

That was Jay looking remarkable pleased.

Bridget was sat on the steps next to Will who was running a wet wipe rather clinically under his fingernails.

"Huh?"

"Check your phone"

She did. It was nearly five am. She was seventeen.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Nothing like a bit of backwoods surgery, shooting and then police reports to get the time flying"

That was Will.

Charles had been taken under police guard to the hospital with his mother. Voight was having a conversation with Erin who had come screeching down the road in her car at four barely out of her pyjama's and Al who had also come ten seconds later doing an impressive kind of driving the likes of which you only saw when you were watching replays of car piles up on the freeway.

"We should go get breakfast" Jay said stretching. "Pancakes."

"Nah." Bridget said. "Pizza"

They both looked at her.

"At five am?"

"Why not"

"Christ" Will muttered "Last time I did that I was a med student and I was trying to forget about that detective that interrogated me—"

"When was this?"

"Old news Jay, old news, suffice to say he didn't have what one would call a gentle touch"

Jay opened his mouth but Bridget cut across him.

"I can always find a sushi bar open this time of night?"

Both Jay and Will looked at each other and seemed to come to the same conclusion. With Bridget it was always advisable not to teste the method.

"Alright pizza it is"

"Spoil sports. You know one of these days you two will try raw scallops and like em."

"More chance of Voight doing karaoke"

"What was that?"

Oh God that was the man in question.

Bridget turned. "You do karaoke but not sushi? Seriously?"

Voight shot Jay a look that promised death by a thousand case files.

"No I do not do karaoke." He said phrasing it like it was a disgusting swear word. "And I do not do sushi"

"Actually sushi is rather nice"

That was Al.

"Victory" Bridget said smugly.

Jay made a mental note to place all the case files on his desk onto Al's at the next opportunity.

"Were going to get pizza and get it back at mine to celebrate my birthday" Bridget said. She looked down and then looked up and her resemblance to Voight in that instance was striking.

"You wanna come?"

"Sure."

"Creepy" Will muttered. Jay privately agreed.

"Erin, Al you want to join?"

"Hell yes" Erin said grinning.

"May I suggest we don't eat off the kitchen table" Bridget said sweetly.

Erin's grin dropped. Jay wanted to die.

Will got the joke and snorted in between looking both scandalised and amused. If Al got it he didn't say anything. Voight it was clear to see didn't. Or perhaps he did and had decided that he didn't want to spoil his daughter's birthday by putting rocks around her brother and throwing him into the river.

Jay was sure one way or another he was going to find out. And soon.

"Right so let me get this straight. You put out milk for stray cats? At night? And left the back door open in case they didn't want to stay in the cold?"

"They were hungry, we didn't have a cat flap and again might I point out I was six"

"I'm surprised you didn't get burgled."

"Think we all were" Jay muttered.

Al shook his head and helped himself to another slice. The rest of them had gone with classic combos but Al had to order something that looked like it was too fancy to come from a take out joint that was open at five am.

"I wish I'd have known we were doing this" Erin mused. "I'd have bought my present"

"You didn't have to get me anything"

"Well I suppose I could always take back the Bobbi Brown make up collect—"

"NO WAY"

"Bridge volume"

"Sorry Will…but…seriously…"

Erin looked very pleased with herself. "Well Nadia helped but yeah."

"Wow"

"And there is cake"

"I didn't…who got cake?"

"Adam. But to be fair I don't think it's just a cake for you, I think it's so he and Kevin can eat"

"I got you something"

That was Voight. It was the first time he had spoken since they had arrived. Somehow the topic had been turned onto childhood and he had sat there silently listening. Jay wasn't sure what he was taking from this, if he was silently judging or not but his sister turned to look at him.

"Oh is it the—"

"No"

Will was right the one word answer thing was wired.

"Oh"

He pulled out the little pouch and Erin shifted slightly. Clearly she knew what it was. He looked at her but she wouldn't meet his eye. Al just took a sip of his beer. Well Jay's beer that they had nearly drank him out off.

Bridget took it and out fell what looked like a watch.

"Wow"

Jay looked at it. It was a nice watch as well.

"Hey is that the Cartier two tank watch?"

"Yeah, I…it's your Mom's"

Bridget's face snapped up to his.

"What?"

"Yeah she—I got if for her when she found out she was pregnant with you. She'd always wanted one but it wasn't until then—well—she wanted you to have it and—now you do"

Jay imagined there was more to that story if the expression on Erin's face was anything to go by but he didn't want to ask.

"This is really expensive" Bridget said quietly. Voight just shrugged. "So?" he asked as if that was all that mattered.

"It's yours. Should have been yours a long time ago. Now it is"

For a moment she stared at him and then she smiled.

"Thanks Hank. Really you…you didn't have to do this"

Jay got the impression that Hank really did.

They left about nine. Erin said she would go and update the rest of the team and make sure that Charles was ok and Al offered Hank a lift despite the one beer.

They were just making it down the corridor when there was the sound of running feat.

"Hank"

It was Bridget. Her hair was still loose and she was in her pyjama's and bare feet and looking somehow even more younger than she did on a day to day bases.

"Listen…err…thanks for coming. Really"

And then she hugged him.

He hugged her back like he had done when she had cried, both times Sitwell and New York and he felt her fold into them and had the foolish notion that, that was where she belonged.

With him. With Camille, with Justin and with their family however mismatched it was.

But Bridget pulled back and went back into her apartment with the family that she had grown up with and he was left outside in the cold with Al looking at him with eyes that said he knew how he felt and yet how could he?

"Just drive" he said sliding into the car.

"Alright. You wanna go to the cemetery?"

"No"

"The other brother seemed good Hank"

"Yeah he did"

Al sighed. "You okay?"

He shrugged. He had just spent the day with his daughter celebrating her birthday. It was normal, it was natural, it was what other Dad's did.

And yet it was just so…strange.

Al gripped his shoulder for a second and put the car into drive and drove off. They didn't need to say anything at this point.

He found however that he kept repeating it back to himself and when he did get to his house he found that actually despite everything he was actually smiling.

He had just spent the day with his daughter celebrating her birthday.

And there you are, I think we might be on the penultimate chapter of the Season 2 arc with the next one which will be quite graphic so please keep that in mind.

Next Chapter-Intelligence take on a case that sees the return of Olivia Benson, Will questioned as a suspect in a murder. A loss to the Intelligence team, Hank and Jay's worst nightmare playing out in front of them and Bridget placed in the most danger she has ever been in.