Ooof I know it has been a while! I hit some serious writers block because Part 2 didn't feel finished and Part 3 wasn't ready…but now I think I'm ready for Part 3. I hope you like it!

"Middle school," Erin said with an exhale, gripping Jay's hand tightly as they approached the classroom door. It was parent-teacher night at Piper's school, and a rare few hours away from their kids. "I can't believe it."

"I can't really think about it," Jay replied honestly, tightening his grip on Erin's hand. "She was wearing pajamas with little flowers on them tonight babe. She's still just a baby."

Erin nodded in agreement. "Our babies are all okay. Boys are still sleeping." She showed Jay the baby monitor on her phone and swiped with her thumb. "I think Hank's helping her with her homework."

Jay examined the screen and had to smile. Sergeant Hank Voight was sitting at his kitchen table, clearly out of his element in an attempt to help Piper with her homework. His little bug was focused on her task, pencil gripped tightly in her small hand. She looked so much like her big sister when she was concentrating. "Your mini-me," he teased, pressing a kiss to the side of Erin's head, "Look at that Lindsay focus."

She snorted and pocked her phone. "I like that they hang up their work," she said, glancing at the wall in the hallway that was lined with the students' classwork, "Want to see if we can find Noodle's while we wait?"

Jay scanned the wall for the familiar careful penmanship of his daughter. Piper was diligent when it came to her writing as she continued to strengthen her skills. Years of missing school for weeks on end had taken a toll on his child's development, but she was determined, and so was he. The extra year of fifth grade was just what she needed to catch up to her peers. "There it is." Jay pointed to the paper on the wall that was Piper's. His breath caught when he saw her name printed at the top. Piper Halstead.

It never got old. Piper was a Halstead.

Erin blinked quickly when she read her daughter's assignment. The children were asked to write about what they did on Spring Break – and while the other kids in Piper's class had recounted trips and adventures, her little girl wrote about staying home with her new little brothers.

"She deserves better than that," Erin managed after a moment, looking up at Jay worriedly, "Look at the other kids' stuff, babe. They all did fun stuff while our kid was stuck at home or in a freaking police station." She shook her head. "It's not fair."

"Er-"

"I know what you're going to say," she interrupted, "It's where we're at right now, the boys are young and we're busy but…but that isn't an excuse. She does so much with helping us and the boys and-"

"We'll do something," Jay promised, cutting her off gently with a squeeze of her hand, "I know. I feel it too." He smiled when Erin relaxed slightly. "Maybe we take her out, just us? See if we can get someone to keep an eye on the boys."

Jay took a deep breath, attempting to keep his cool. The conversation with Piper's homeroom teacher started out well – she was very complimentary of their little girl, and Jay was bursting with pride.

It wasn't until the teacher started reading some of the comments from other teachers who Piper interacted with that he realized where the conversation was going. One of the teachers expressed a concern that Piper was socially less mature than her peers.

At first, Jay's gut reaction was to vehemently deny the claim. His child had dealt with countless situations that any adult would find themselves struggling in. Piper was beyond mature when it came to looking after the boys and being a good big sister. She was perceptive beyond belief and truly the most empathic child he'd ever met. And he didn't think that just because she was his daughter.

But then he listened to the anecdotes the teacher was reading. It was true – Piper stuck very closely to authority. She never wanted to break the rules, so it made sense that she would want to ask the teacher repeatedly if she was doing the right thing. His kid required extra reassurance, always. But she wasn't doing it for attention.

Just as Jay was about to open his mouth, he heard his partner's voice.

"She is not attention seeking," Erin gritted out, "She's looking for attachment." She attempted to soften her eyes, but the frustration brewing inside her wouldn't allow it. "You know she came out of foster care, right? Fourteen different homes in nine years? Do you know what that does to a person? A child?" Erin bit down on her lip. She needed to keep it together. The last thing anyone in their family needed was her getting arrested for losing it on a teacher.

Jay widened his eyes slightly. He made it a point to read all he could about children coming out of trauma, particularly from foster care. Erin had picked up on a lot of his learnings, but hearing her relay it to a teacher filled him with renewed hope. They were such a good team, and they had their daughter's best interest at heart.

"Piper looking for security and stability and routine, but a child who has been through hell and back doesn't exactly know how to outright ask for that," Jay followed up, his glare equally as pointed as his partner's, "So yeah, if you didn't know what our daughter has been through, you could think we are babying her. And you might be right. But we are doing our best to show her that people can be trusted, that she's deserving of love and that no matter what, her parents aren't going anywhere."

"We're not making excuses for her, either," Erin said firmly, "But our daughter's brain literally didn't develop like it was supposed to. That is a scientific fact and I am more than happy to pass along her medical records if the teacher who raised the concern is so inclined. Piper is behind her peers for a reason, and we are doing everything we can to help her catch up. We held her back a year, for crying out loud."

"And the reality is that her looking for approval from her educators is huge." Jay squeezed Erin's hand carefully. "Piper has been in therapy for almost two years and we still haven't been able to fully understand the extent of her experience at her last school. So respectfully, please let whatever person has an issue with how we are attempting to heal our child that we are more than happy to have that conversation."

"I bet it was the vice principal," Erin growled as she slid into the driver's seat, "The one who said I needed to be careful about babying Piper when both of us had just gotten out of the fucking hospital." She gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Same asshole who wanted to put Piper in the recess punishment for a bad test."

Jay nodded slowly. After they realized how Piper had been struggling in history, her favorite class but the last class of the day, Jay and Erin exchanged a series of emails with the teacher on how they could help. When the boys started sleeping for longer, Piper was able to as well, which helped. She also had extra time on the reading sections. As much as she had grown in her abilities since Jay first found her, their little bug was still playing catch up to her peers.

But he hadn't been able to reach the vice principal.

"Am I overreacting?" Erin asked, interrupting his thoughts, "Are we babying her? Is it us?"

Jay shook his head rapidly. "You are not overreacting," he said confidently, "We know our kid. We know the reasons she isn't quote normal is because of all she's been through. And we know what is best for her." He shifted in the passenger seat so he could face his girl. "You were amazing in there."

Erin managed a small smile. "All that research paid off," she teased, "Her homeroom teacher literally apologized."

He chuckled. "We don't hold back when it comes to our kids," he mused, "Well, we kind of held back. The old Lindsay woulda leapt across that desk."

"I was close," Erin said with an exhale, "But it wasn't the homeroom teacher's fault. She's the messenger. The good news is, Noodle is going to middle school. New teachers, new principals. I sent an email to the school two days ago so we can meet with everyone before Piper starts in the fall."

"Mama Bear," Jay said with a smirk, "I love it."

Hank put his finger to his lips and gestured down to the sleeping child at his side when he saw his daughter and future son-in-law enter the house through the garage. He and Piper had been reading (well, he had been reading aloud to her) before the little girl promptly fell asleep beside him. He'd already kept her up past her normal bedtime after one look at those big green eyes, but then didn't have the heart to carry her up the steps before her parents got home.

He had to smile whenever he saw the similarities between Piper and Erin. The eyes they shared was just one of a series he was keeping a mental note of. Spending time with the miniature version of his Erin tugged at his heart in a big way – he'd missed all those years with his little girl.

And now, his little girl was a mom, and a good one at that. "Didn't have the heart to bring her upstairs," Hank said honestly when he saw his detective marveling at just how serene his little girl appeared, "Pretty sure she was fightin' it til you guys got back, but she crashed about twenty minutes ago."

Jay nodded gratefully. "The boys were good?" Erin asked as she set her bag down on the kitchen counter, "We didn't get any notifications."

"Champion sleepers," Hank confirmed, tilting his head toward Piper, "All three of 'em."

Erin snorted slightly and Jay shook his head in amusement. "None of the Halsteads are great sleepers," he murmured, gently brushing some of Piper's hair from her forehead, "So whenever we get them all down, it's pretty much a miracle."

"This one sleeps like another Lindsay I know." Hank gave his daughter a knowing look as Jay attempted to rise Piper, "When you're out, you're out."

"I know, kiddo," Jay soothed when Piper turned her head against the couch sleepily, "Bed time means bed, though." He carefully lifted her into his arms.

"She's really out," Erin remarked, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead, "You want to get her settled? I'll be in to check on her in a bit." She smiled when Jay nodded and continued up the stairs with their little bug against his chest.

"Everything go okay?" Hank asked, pushing himself up from the couch. He gave his daughter another knowing look when she looked surprised that he asked. "I can tell."

Erin exhaled heavily. "One of the teachers thinks we baby her. And that she's socially immature." she said, releasing another heavy breath, "I don't want to be the one holding her back. But I want to."

"Kiddo-"

"I know it's well-within my maternal instincts to worry about her but she's about to go to middle school for real in the next couple of months. And we signed her up for a soccer camp and I know all of that is good for her but I just…I just want to keep her with me." Erin swallowed. So much could happen to her child when she was out of the house, at middle school, at camp…it was almost too much to think about.

"She's been through a lot," Hank reasoned, "But she's doing well, Erin. I can tell. Whatever you and Jay are doing, it's working. She used to practically watch the door for two hours when you went out. Tonight she was doing her homework and checking on the boys and being a normal kid."

Erin nodded. "Keeping her in fifth grade this year was the right call. I know that. And it was an easier call because…because it got her to a better place. But middle school is middle school. She could get hurt."

"She could get hit by a bike," Hank mused, "Or into a fight." He gave his daughter a pointed look when she stared back at him. "She could start hanging out with the wrong people, get in with the wrong crowd-"

"Is this supposed to help?" she spluttered, "Because-"

"She could face danger every day on a job you know she's incredible at." Hank put his hand on top of Erin's carefully as the pieces of her father's statements registering. "She could wind up with yet another concussion, or call you from the hospital for the third time in as many months."

Erin swallowed. Her dad was talking about her. It would take more than two hands to count the number of times Hank got a terrifying message about the scrappy street kid he brought into his home.

"I can't believe I put you through all that," Erin said, shaking her head, "If any of that happens to her-"

"You can't protect your kids from everything, kid." Hank reached up to stroke her cheek, "You can try your hardest, but even when you're keeping the closest eye, things can go wrong. But it doesn't mean it's going to."

Erin just shook her head. "I am so worried about her, all the time." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "The boys, I worry but I…they're small enough that I don't feel like they're slipping away from me but Piper-"

"She's your first baby," he said gently, "Watching your first baby grow up, even if you missed part of it, is always tough. Take it from someone who's done it, but also gotten through it. It's going to be okay, kiddo."

Jay sat across the table at his and Piper's favorite local coffee shop, marveling at just how adorable his little girl was. He couldn't believe that he was one day away from having an eleven year old.

"Do I have something on my face?" Piper asked teasingly, "Did I cut myself shaving?" Her eyes sparkled when Jay chuckled. "That's what you always say to Mommy when she's looking at you."

He took a sip of coffee. "Do I really say it that often?"

Piper paused thoughtfully. "Well you don't shave that much," she said, "But you don't notice Mommy staring at you that much anymore either. But before the boys, you said it all the time."

Jay resisted the urge to grimace. His daughter was beyond observant when it came to him and Erin – and even she had noticed that with how busy their schedules were and the lack of sleep from three kids, Mommy and Daddy hadn't had a lot of time to themselves. The boys were almost four months old and required a lot of their attention.

Which is why he was out on a coffee date with his little girl in the middle of the workday. Ordinarily, he'd be in the field or at his desk, but after stumbling upon Piper's writing assignment about her Spring Break, coupled with the teacher's comments about her development, Jay and Erin decided they each needed some good one-on-one time with their daughter.

"Everything's been pretty busy," Jay said slowly, trying to gauge what Piper was thinking. His little girl was in good spirits when he picked her up and she was over the moon excited to be going on an after school adventure sigh him. The excitement didn't stop her from immediately asking about her little brothers and her mommy, who Jay promised were all safe at home. "But we're never too busy for you." He gave a goofy smile. "What am I going to do when you turn eleven tomorrow?"

Piper blushed. "I'm still the shortest kid in my class," she said seriously, "By a lot. I always have to stand at the front of class pictures."

Jay nodded gently. His little bug was tiny. Part of it was genetics, as Erin wasn't very tall, but a large part was the fact that Piper hadn't been healthy enough to grow in some of her formative years. He and Erin were doing everything they could to get Piper gaining weight and growing, but it was moving slowly. "You'll grow soon," he promised, "Trust me. One day I woke up and was just bam. This tall." He offered another goofy smile. "You are perfect, just the way you are."

"You have to say that, 'cause you're my dad," Piper informed him. She giggled when Jay wiggled his eyebrows, and he beamed. He never got tired of hearing Piper refer to him as her dad, or hearing her giggle.

"Okay, well, as your dad, I have to ask you if you have any ideas of what you want to do for your birthday." Jay lifted his coffee to his lips and took a sip. "I know it's a school day, but it's still a very special day."

"Taylor got her ears pierced when she turned eleven," Piper said slowly, "And now she wears earrings like Mommy does."

Jay nearly choked on his coffee. His little girl? Piercings? He couldn't fathom it. Erin had mentioned it weeks ago, but he'd put the thought out of his mind.

"She said it didn't hurt," she continued, shrugging her shoulders, "But I don't know."

He managed a nod. "Maybe you could ask Mommy about it," he said, taking another sip of coffee to clear the scratchiness of his throat, "Is it something you would want to do?"

Piper shrugged again. "Most of the girls in my class have their ears pierced. But I'm not like everyone else."

Jay felt another pang in his chest. It was true. Piper wasn't like the other kids. She was his kid. "Everyone is different," Jay told her carefully, "That's what makes us all special."

"Am I sucking at this?"

Erin looked up from the book she was reading in bed to her shirtless fiancé at the foot of their bed. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," she said, setting the book on her bedside table beside the baby monitors. All three of her kids were sleeping soundly and she was looking forward to at least a few hours of sleep.

"At this." Jay gestured to the space between them. "Because…because I feel like I am."

She furrowed her brow. "Babe-"

"Today, at the coffee shop, Pipes said something and it wasn't like she meant it to mean anything but I was thinking-"

"Jay," Erin interrupted firmly, holding her hand out to her partner, "Stop, okay? You are not sucking as a partner, or as a father." She grasped his fingers tightly to pull him closer. "Talk to me."

He blew out a breath. "I used to ask you if I had something on my face." Jay swallowed when Erin looked somewhat confused. "I'd see you…I'd see you lookin' at me and I'd ask you that. And today, Pipes was being so cute and bubbly and she said that. And then she said that I don't say that to you that much anymore."

"Babe," she murmured, running a hand over his chest, "We just had two babies. We've got three kids, two busy jobs…we're sleeping like four hours a night and yeah, it's been a while but it also is for a reason. We're supposed to be careful. With me, and with you."

"You know I love you, right?" he asked seriously, "More than anything."

Erin smiled. "I know," she replied, sliding over on the bed so she could be closer, "We're just in a really busy season, is all. You're about to become a sergeant and we've got two babies and one eleven year old." Erin gestured to the clock when Jay looked shocked. "It's midnight. She's eleven, babe."

"God," Jay mumbled, bring his hand to his forehead. "Eleven. We really do have to do something good to celebrate. You know she brought up getting her ears pierced?"

Erin chuckled lightly and rubbed his back. "Yeah. I might have had something to do with that. You remember when I took her to the mall because the district-"

"Oh I remember," he said, "I was just hoping she didn't." He swallowed. "It feels like she's growing up so quickly. Even though she's still so tiny."

Jay drew in a deep breath. Nearly two years ago, he had been at the very same mall, completely out of his element as he selected child-sized clothes for the skittish little girl who melted his heart from the moment she opened her eyes. That child had been rail-thin and incredibly timid, spooked by anything that moved.

Now, he was standing outside of the Target while his wife-to-be held his daughter's hand as they entered the jewelry store. That scared little girl was his now, and she wasn't going to be so little forever.

Piper's eleventh birthday was simple and easy – which had him and Erin feeling incredibly guilty. The year before they'd managed to center a whole day around their little girl, from breakfast to a soccer game. Instead, their day was much like their regular routine.

It was all Jay could do not to pack up his family and drive them north to Wisconsin to celebrate for an extended weekend, but Ryan hated the car and their busy schedules just couldn't handle it. So they settled on a weekend trip to the mall, Will and Hailey in tow, so that Piper could get her ears pierced.

"You looking at rings, man?"

Will jumped slightly when he heard his brother's voice. His cheeks immediately darkened as Jay's eyebrows raised. "I um, yeah," he managed, stepping away from the window of the adjacent jewelry shop quickly, "I-"

He glanced over to where Hailey and Erin were helping Piper decide the type of earrings she would choose. "Not for like, now," he clarified, "But um, eventually. I hope." Will swallowed while Jay continued to stare at him. "I was going to ask you and-"

"Ask me?" Jay asked, "You don't need my permission." He offered a small smile as he pushed the double stroller, hoping that Liam and Ryan would continue to snooze until at least until after Piper had the earrings picked out. "I'm not her dad, bro." He paused. "It's only been a couple of months though, right?"

Will nodded fervently. "Not yet," he said quickly, "We're not…we're not there yet. But I like to think that at some point…I don't know. They say when you know you know and I know but I don't know if she does."

"She knows." Jay nodded, his smile widening. "Trust me. She knows. Deep down, at least. I've never seen her this happy." He gestured with his head to where Hailey was pointing to a glass case, showing Piper a few options.

"Her lease is up in two months," Will mused, "I was um, going to ask if she wants to move in. I know it's fast, we've been dating less than a year but-"

"When you know, you know," Jay supplied. "She spends most nights at yours anyway." He rolled his eyes when Will looked surprised. "I'm a detective. I pick up on these things."

"So you're saying you approve?" Will looked over at his girlfriend again. "Me, living with your partner?"

"As long as you're both happy." Jay clapped his big brother on the shoulder. "It's all mom ever wanted for us, right?" He looked up to see Erin motioning him over. "Looks like we're being summoned."

"Noodle is deciding between all the options," Erin explained. She reached for Jay's hand as he examined the earrings skeptically and passed the stroller to Will. "There are some little flowers. Or stars. Which ones do you like, Noodle bug?" She pointed to the variety of tiny studs behind the glass case.

Piper stood on her tip toes and peered into the case. Jay swallowed the lump in his throat. His little girl was growing up. "I like the lady bugs," Jay managed, pointing to the earring option on the far side of the case, "Could be perfect for our little bug."

Erin smiled. "What do you think, sweetheart?" she asked, "Flowers, stars, lady bugs?"

She looked down at the case and then up to her mommy and daddy. "Lady bugs," Piper determined, offering a small smile, "'cause then it's like I got Daddy in my ear all the time."

"Argh," Jay said, leaning down to pepper kisses onto Piper's head, "You are the cutest lady bug in the whole world, you know that?"

He held Erin's hand as Piper took a tentative seat on the chair where she would get her ears pierced. His little bug really was growing up. Erin smiled encouragingly at Piper and reached for her hand. She could tell just how nervous she was growing.

"I don't think I want to do it," Piper whispered worriedly, reaching forward to Jay, "I don't want to hurt."

Jay raised his eyebrows as Piper huddled into his chest. "You were so excited before," he said softly, stroking the back of her head gently, "Taylor said it didn't hurt, right?"

Piper gripped his shirt tightly. Jay glanced up at Erin, unsure of what to do next. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to." Jay pressed a kiss to the side of Piper's head. "But I know you were really looking forward to it."

"Would it help if you sat with Daddy?" Erin offered, reaching forward to rub Piper's back, "And I can hold your hand?"

After a moment, Piper nodded. "You'll be there?"

"The whole time." Jay shifted Piper so she could sit on his knee and settled himself into the small pink chair. "I'm right here with you."

"Hey, babe," Jay greeted, pushing his chair away from his desk when he saw Erin coming up the stairs to the bullpen, "I didn't know you were stopping by."

Erin flashed a cheeky smile. "What, I can't just drop by to see my man?" She tilted her head up to kiss his lips. "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"I am always happy to see you," he corrected, "But Pipes had her check up today and I thought-"

"She's downstairs with Platt and Hailey, showing Platt her ears," Erin interrupted, bringing her fingertips to her partner's chest, "Hailey's going to bring her up in a second. I just wanted to tell you in person." The smile on her cheeks widened. "Our kid made it onto the growth charts today."

Jay's eyes widened. He and Erin had both been somewhat skeptical about Piper's eleven year old check-up, but by the look on his fiancé's face, she had gotten good news at the pediatrician. "No way," he said, a grin spreading across his lips, "She did it?"

"In the one percentile, but she's on there." Erin giggled when Jay kissed her in excitement. "Dr. Edelman showed me the data herself. She's about the size of the average eight year old but she gained five pounds since last year." She pulled back to meet Jay's gaze. "She's still really, really tiny but Dr. Edelman said we're headed in the right direction."

"That's such great news," Jay gushed, "I'm so glad you came by to tell me. Couldn't wait til I got home."

"That's not even the best news," Erin said, "Her iron is good. Like in a normal range. She doesn't have to take those vitamins anymore as long as she gets enough iron in her diet. We have a very healthy kid, babe."

"This is the best news I've heard all day," he said, unable to keep the smile off his face. "Our kid, on the growth charts. I was getting worried that the boys might catch up to her."

"They still might," Erin teased, "With the rate they're growing? The books weren't lying when they said babies don't keep." She stroked his hair back gently. "Three healthy kids."

"Three healthy kids, beautiful fiancé," Jay replied, nuzzling her cheek with his nose, "Doesn't get better than this."

"I might make it a little better," she breathed, reaching into her purse for an envelope, "Open it."

Jay's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Are you-"

"No!" Erin exclaimed, shaking her head rapidly, "No, no. Not pregnant." She shook her head again when Jay looked slightly relieved. "We're up to our ears in diapers. Not pregnant. I picked this up from Platt to give to you. She said it should come from me."

Jay turned the envelope over in his hands. "I passed?"

Erin nodded proudly. "You passed the written test. You did it. Even when you didn't think you could." She took the envelope from her partner to open it on his behalf. "Next up is the oral exam and I think you can do that one in your sleep. You practically do." Erin set the packet down on Jay's desk as he continued to process. "I am so proud of you, Jay."

"I couldn't do it without you," he managed, "This next step, I know I asked you before but are you sure? Because-"

"I am so sure." Erin kissed his lips gently. "We're a team, babe. We got our kid on the growth charts, and we're going to get you those three chevrons." She rubbed his arm. "You deserve it all."

I can't decide if I weave a lil drama into Part 3...would you want to see it?