Wow! So glad people are into this story. As a thank you for all the comments and interest, I give you the next chapter!

Jay set Piper up in the breakroom with a sandwich and a promise that he'd be right back after connecting with the team. With all the new people around, she'd gotten even quieter than before, barely managing to nod or shake her head. He still couldn't believe that her file had her listed at just nine years old. When she did talk, the way she spoke, and the experiences she had been forced to have made him think she was just a small teenager.

"Hey, Sarge?" Jay knocked on Voight's door, "Team's gearing up since the covert said there's been some movement in the house, but I was wondering if I could stay with Piper. She's um, pretty strong but I don't want to leave her alone."

Voight nodded, "You got a minute?"

Jay nodded in response and closed the door. "Yeah. What's up?"

"There's something about this kid," Voight started and swallowed, "Something familiar."

Jay nodded again, "Yeah, uh, I know, I thought the same thing. Her eyes, they're um-"

"Erin's," Voight finished for him, "The second I saw her picture I recognized 'em, and seeing her in person just confirmed it."

"I-I didn't know she had a kid. I mean, she never said anything," Jay took a seat in the chair in front of his sergeant's desk. His heart ached as he thought about all he didn't know about his former partner. He thought he knew her better than anyone. "All that time, we were partners and she never-"

"She didn't have a kid, Jay," Voight cut him off, "But Bunny may have. After Erin came to live with me, I had her cut Bunny out completely. Back when you were partners, Erin hadn't seen or heard from Bunny in eight years. And Bunny got her name somehow, and sleepin' about town was one of them."

"You think Piper is Erin's sister?" Jay stared at his boss in disbelief, simultaneously relieved that Erin didn't have a daughter, but also shocked that her mother would stoop so low to abandon a child.

"I mean, I don't know for sure. We don't have a birth certificate for her, and from what you've said, the kid doesn't know anything about her parents." Voight opened Piper's file on his desk, "Her last name came from the first foster family she had at two weeks old. This kid's been bounced from fourteen different homes before she landed at the Davis's, which is where her file stops. There's no record of any parent making claims of her, but I've met a lot of folks in my day, and nobody has eyes like that but Erin."

Jay swallowed, processing the information as best he could. "I-I know. Kid's been through a lot. You don't think Erin knew?"

"Do you think Erin would have just let a child get bounced around from foster home to foster home if she could prove they were related?" Voight asked, pulling out his cell phone from his pocket.

"No," Jay exhaled, "She'd have done anything to keep her safe. I could ask her, or send a text to see if she wants to talk, but um, we haven't talked since she left a year ago, Sarge."

"We're not going to tell her anything until we have some kind of confirmation," the gruff sergeant replied, "Don't need to drop a bomb like that over text message. You said you brought the kid to Med?"

"Yeah, they did a work up. She's as healthy as can be expected for someone who bounced around foster homes. Nat said something about weak lungs and maybe anemia but mentally she's all there. Feisty. Smart. Observant. Her file says she's nine, and she's a bit smaller than the size of a nine year old, but she's pretty mature if you ask me."

"They get a DNA sample?" Voight asked. When Jay nodded, he turned back to his phone, "I got a connection down at the lab. They've got Bunny's DNA from all the times she was picked up, I'll ask him to run the kid's DNA against hers, see if there's any type of match."

"Piper," Jay corrected him, "Her name is Piper. And you're not seriously thinking we'll give her over to Bunny?"

"Over my dead body," Voight replied dryly, "That woman isn't fit to raise a child, sober or not. She's oh for two between Erin and Teddy, and if Piper is hers, we're not taking that chance. Once we catch the guys we can figure out next steps for Piper."

Jay nodded, "I'm going to head back, sit with her and see if I can get any additional information and get to know her a bit better."

"Hey, Piper," Jay knocked on the breakroom door before entering, wanting to avoid frightening the child as much as possible, "How was the sandwich?"

"Really good," she replied, gesturing to the half-eaten sandwich on the wax paper, "Really big though."

"These things are monsters," he chuckled, opening the fridge to pull out his sandwich, "Mind if I sit with you for a bit?"

She shrugged and shifted in her seat. "So what grade were you in at school?" Jay asked lightly, picking up his extra-large sandwich and taking a bite.

"Fourth," Piper replied, "But I haven't been in a while. The Marsh's didn't want me out of the house. Thought I'd run away or something, since I tried to when I was with that guy Donny."

Jay nodded and chewed thoughtfully, "When I was in fourth grade, I had a teacher named Mrs. Tucker, and she hated my guts. I was always getting into trouble."

"I try to avoid trouble," she said dryly, "Trouble likes to find me."

He stifled a grimace, the adult mannerisms of the child in front of him continually shocking him. "Did you have a lot of friends in school?"

She shook her head, "I moved around a bunch before I landed at the Davis's. Always heard something about my case being difficult from caseworkers, I don't know." Piper furrowed her brow, "I know what you're doing."

"Me?" Jay pointed to his chest, mouth full of sandwich, "What do you mean?"

"You're trying to get me to talk," she replied stoically, "Figure out what happened so you can pack me up and send me on my way."

"You're right. I am trying to get you to talk, but only because I'm trying to get to know you," Jay shook his head and put the sandwich down. "Piper, I promised you that I wasn't ever going to lie to you, and I meant it. The last thing we want to do is just send you on your way, and I'm not going to let that happen. I'm going to do my best to make sure that you have a say, and that you're safe, alright?"

Piper was quiet. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Jay gave a small smile, "Of course we want to catch the guys, and anything you know could be helpful, but my priority is keeping you safe."

"I-I don't know a lot," she said honestly, leaning back in her chair to think, "But maybe if you ask me about things I'll remember?"

"Deal," Jay replied, "You're a pretty smart kid, so I'm sure you already figured out that Tyler and Evelyn Marsh were up to no good."

She nodded slowly, "I know what drugs are. And all the types and whatever." Piper paused, "I'm not a baby."

"You are just a kid though," Jay reminded her, doing his best to keep the sadness out of his voice, "And you've seen a lot, and I told you I'd always be honest with you, and I meant that. So if it's alright with you, I'm going to give it to you straight." At Piper's nod of assent, Jay continued, "We believe that Tyler and Evelyn Marsh were part of a larger organization of local drug dealers, operating under one or two leaders. The house you showed me belonged to a known offender, which was a great tip because we've got a team sitting on it. What we're trying to do is find the connection between the dealers and the person who is supplying and organizing the distribution."

Jay let out a breath as the wheels turned in Piper's head. "Could that person come from Canada?" she asked after a moment.

He raised his eyebrows. "Maybe. Why do you say that?"

"That guy Donny, his ex-wife, had a Canadian passport. I went up there with them once or twice. Not all the way to Canada, but they had a house on one of the big lakes, Lake Huron, I think. I don't remember much since it was a while ago and I'm pretty sure they gave me sleeping pills." Piper stopped. "He drove a blue pickup truck with a baby on board sticker on the bottom left. He didn't have a baby."

"That is so helpful, Piper," Jay praised, "Really great. I'm going to tell some of the guys to flag any vehicles matching that description. Do you want to stay in here, or come with me?"

"With you, please," Piper said, abandoning the second half of her sandwich. "I-I'm sorry I didn't finish it. I didn't mean to waste it."

"No worries," Jay shrugged, "Save room for dinner. You know what, there's a guy I work with out here, Kevin, who would love a second lunch."

A small smile crept on Piper's lips and she extended the re-wrapped sandwich to Jay. "Hey Kev," Jay called, gesturing for Piper to follow him into the bullpen, "Got a vehicle description I want you to run." He paused, "And half a sandwich."

"No doubt," Atwater gave a smile to the little girl, "Hey, I'm Kevin. Atwater."

"Hi," Piper gave a small wave but didn't say anything else. Instead, she glanced around the rest of the bullpen nervously.

"This is Piper," Jay introduced her to the officer, primarily for Piper's benefit. "She's been remembering a few things. I'm hoping you can find a blue pickup truck with a baby on board sticker in the bottom left window."

"Dark blue," Piper said quickly, "W-with dark windows."

"Dark blue, blacked out windows, baby on board, pickup," Atwater typed into the computer system, "I got about twenty hits." He started clicking. Piper gasped.

"What is it?" Jay turned to the little girl who had frozen, eyes trained on the screen, "Is that the car?"

She nodded and swallowed, "Yeah. That's it. I-I forgot there was a dent in the door, I'm sorry."

"You did amazing," Jay said, resisting the urge to pull the tiny human beside him into a hug. "Can you flag that man?"

"Done," Atwater confirmed, "Looks like it's registered to a Patricia Sul…Sulkowsi."

"Donny's ex-wife's name was Patsy," Piper whispered, "I don't remember their last name."

"Perfectly alright," Jay assured her, "This stuff is so helpful."

"What happens now?" she asked quietly, glancing from Atwater's screen to the rest of the bullpen, "You go try to find them?"

Jay nodded, "Well, some of the team is checking out the house you pointed out earlier, and Atwater and I are tracking down this car. Hopefully something pops."

"I'm keeping you from doing your job," Piper said as she realized Jay was also supposed to be working. "I-I can go sit back in that room over there."

"You're not keeping me from anything, kiddo." Jay felt his heart ache at the child's stiffness. "Really. My job today is keeping you safe. And I promised I was going to do just that, didn't I?"

Piper nodded slowly, a small smile playing on her lips as Jay gave a grin. "Good. Now, I know I really hyped up the sandwich, but I'm telling you, there's a place just down the street from the district that makes an incredible apple turnover."

"I'm not really hungry since I just ate…and you just ate the whole sandwich." She offered a playful smile as Jay feigned an exaggerated offense, "I couldn't even get through half."

"I'm a lot bigger than you," Jay reminded her, "But point taken. I'm saving room for dinner anyway."

Jay took Piper on a stroll down the block anyway, eager to get her out of the district and into a more neutral territory. He was hoping that being outside would calm her down and get her to open up a bit more, but it somehow had the opposite effect. The little girl stood as close to his leg as she could without touching him as they waited in line at the coffee shop for Jay's black coffee and Piper's apple juice. "You alright, kiddo?" he asked, glancing down at the top of the child's head as she stood rigidly beside him, "You sure you're not hungry?"

"I'm sure," she whispered. The place wasn't overflowing with people but it certainly wasn't empty, and Piper's anxiety was palpable. Jay stifled a yawn – he was going to need another cup of coffee when they got back to the district. He glanced around the shop, curious what could be making his new little friend so nervous. It was then his gaze landed on a middle aged, heavy-set bearded man in the corner of the café. The guy was minding his own business and didn't appear to be a threat, but there was something about him that Jay could tell was making Piper incredibly nervous.

"You're safe with me," Jay promised softly, hoping his words would resonate. Piper looked up at Jay, surprised, then back to the man in the corner. He silently extended his hand, which the little girl grasped thankfully. He could feel her pulse racing through his fingertips. "Don't worry, kiddo. I gotcha."

Piper exhaled but continued to hold tightly to Jay's hand as he accepted their drinks from the barista. "Sorry," she stuttered, immediately dropping Jay's hand as they exited, "I didn't mean to freak out."

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Jay felt his heart clench. The child in front of him had been through the ringer. "You don't need to apologize," he said as gently as he could, "Sometimes we all just need a little extra assurance, and that is my job." He offered a smile, "And it's a job I take seriously."

Piper relaxed as Jay extended his hand again for the walk back to the district. She slipped her tiny fingers into his palm, and Jay felt his heart soar.

"Halstead," Platt pointed at him through the doorway to the breakroom, "A quick word?"

Jay raised his eyebrows and nodded. "I'll be right back," he promised Piper, who had gone stiff at the presence of the new person in the room, "I'll be right outside the door, okay? I'll know if you peaked at my cards." He winked.

She nodded and set the cards down that she was holding, doing her best to remain stoic. Piper knew the look on the sergeant's face. She'd seen it several times before – it meant they were calling DCFS, and she was going to a new house.

"When were you planning on informing me that there is a minor sitting in my district with no parents and no call to DCFS?" Platt asked curtly after Jay closed the breakroom door. Hank was standing outside as well, arms folded across his chest.

"I called DCFS. Said we've got the kid in protective custody and that we were expecting to apprehend the bad actors before the end of the day," Hank replied, "Didn't want her going to some random person who we don't know or trust."

"I heard over the scanner that the house your team raided was empty," she shot back, "and I don't think we want the kid to sleep here," Platt hissed, "DCFS is going to want to place her with a licensed foster parent as soon as possible. Now, I don't control what type of people get licensed by the state of Illinois, but you're welcome to take it up with them."

"What if she stayed with me for a few days?" Jay suggested, not realizing the words leaving his lips, "I've got a guest room with a bed she could sleep in, and that way we're not traumatizing her all over again. I mean sarge, this kid has been through hell, and as strong as she seems, she's absolutely petrified. Plus she's got good information, and we're going to have to bring her back in again anyway."

Both Voight and Platt raised their eyebrows in surprise. "This about Erin?" Voight asked, "I texted her to give me a call just so I could check in but didn't hear back."

"No, this is about the child fighting sleep upstairs in our breakroom that deserves a bed. And she trusts me, sarge. She didn't want me to leave her in the hospital, and she's practically been at my side all day. I know it's not ideal, but I qualify as protective custody." Jay put his hands on his hips in aspiration, "I just don't think dumping her off in a foster home is safe."

"I agree with you there," Voight nodded, pondering the situation, "She also did get you some valuable intel that's going to help us take down these guys. Alright Halstead. Kid's gonna need some clothes and stuff too, you know."

"We'll swing by Target," Jay confirmed, "I'll get her dinner, whatever she needs. And I'll keep her safe until we can find an option for her. But I think we need to give her the choice. If she wants to go to a foster home, that's okay with me. I just want her to feel safe."

Voight and Platt nodded in agreement. "I'll talk to my contact at DCFS. They hate these protective custody things, but given that this poor kid has been missing, they're going to have to make an exception."

"Hey, Piper," Jay greeted, taking a seat across from the child who was sitting at the table, looking at the window.

"You get 'em?" she asked expectantly, her face falling when Jay didn't immediately nod, "Oh."

"We're close," he said gently, heart breaking for the crestfallen child in front of him, "We are. I know it's been a really long day for you, and I wanted to give you a few options for the next few days while we get everything settled."

"I have options?" Piper scrunched her nose, "Like what, a foster home or I spend the night on the street?"

Jay shook his head, "We want to keep you in protective custody, until we catch Marsh and his associates. But I don't want you to feel like you don't have a choice. Sergeant Platt can make a call for DCFS to find a temporary foster home for you, or you can stay with me until things settle down."

"I-I could stay with you?" Piper locked eyes with Jay, her greens piercing his blues, "Really?"

Jay nodded, "I have a spare bedroom, and if you'd like, you're welcome to stay with me. But I wouldn't take any offense if you'd rather go to a family or-"

"I want to stay with you," Piper rushed out, "Please."

A smile spread across Jay's lips. "I'm so glad to hear that. I just need to wrap up a few things here, and then we'll head to Target to pick a few things up for you before we grab dinner. Does that sound good?"

Piper nodded. "Thank you, Jay."

"Do you have a favorite color?" Jay asked as he pushed the cart through the aisles of Target, completely out of his element. Piper was practically glued to his side as he held up various options of clothes for her to wear. She'd picked out some leggings, jeans and t shirts but shook her head when he gestured to dresses or skirts.

"Blue?" Piper shrugged, "I don't know." She glanced around the store, incredibly aware of how many strangers there were. "I don't need much."

"Pajamas," Jay stopped the cart, "Gotta have some of them."

"I can sleep in this," Piper wrinkled her nose and gestured to the worn t shirt and leggings she was wearing.

"We gotta get you some comfy pajamas," Jay gave a boyish grin and held up a pair of puppy pajamas, "Super cute."

At that, Piper managed her first laugh. As soon as the sound escaped her lips, it was like time stopped. Erin had the same laugh.

"Okay," she agreed, "Can I get a normal one too? Don't need the other kids making fun of me for wearing puppy pajamas."

Jay nodded, immediately remembering that Piper wouldn't be staying with him for long. She'd likely be placed back into a foster home, where there would be several other children. His chest tightened at the thought of her leaving. "Absolutely." He swallowed, "How about two normal ones?" Jay glanced down at Piper's small feet, clad in incredibly worn sneakers. "And we'll head to shoes next."

Jay loaded the cart with everything he could think that a child Piper's age would need, not paying attention to any price tags. He pulled a blue backpack off the shelf, along with some school supplies. "For school," he said, "It may be summer now, but you're going to be back in school, and you're going to need a backpack."

Piper nodded, continuing to walk closely to Jay. "Keep forgetting I'm going to go back to school," she murmured, "That there's real life."

He swallowed again, "How about some toys?"

"Toys?" Piper looked up at Jay incredulously, "Like trucks or dolls?"

"Or whatever you want," Jay shifted from one foot to the other, "Maybe some coloring books or art supplies?"

"I might be too old for toys," Piper said, breaking Jay's heart. A nine year old too old for toys? "I could draw. Or play soccer or something."

"Great!" Jay exclaimed, probably too excitedly, "Art supplies and a soccer ball. You know, I played soccer growing up. Goalie."

"I never really played. Sometimes at school. I like to run," Piper said, eyes widening as Jay placed a new soccer ball in her thin arms, "Really? I could get this?"

"For sure," Jay grinned, "My apartment doesn't have a yard, but there's a park across the street or we could hide the lamps and play inside."

Piper smiled, "Thank you, Jay. For everything."

"Of course," He couldn't help but keep smiling. This little girl, Erin's sibling or not, was capturing his heart. "Let's check out and pick up some dinner. How do you feel about Chinese?"

"Okay kiddo, welcome to Casa Halstead." Jay pushed open his apartment door, arms full of Target bags, "Set the stuff down anywhere and I'll give you the tour."

"It's really nice," Piper glanced around at the apartment. Jay wasn't one for decorating, but attempted to make an effort at his new place. Erin had done most of the decorating at their old place, considering it was hers first. In his new place, Jay splurged on a new TV, comfortable couch and even a few pieces of art. It was a real grown up apartment.

"You sound surprised," Jay chuckled, setting the bags down by the couch.

Piper smiled shyly, "I don't know. I haven't stayed in a lot of nice places. And I figured you'd have like, posters. But you have frames."

"Figured I needed to grow up some time," he said wistfully, "Alrighty. This is the living room," he gestured to the couch, "Kitchen is right over in that corner," he pointed to a kitchen nook, "and we got my bedroom on the right there, and yours is going to be on the left."

"I get to have my own room?" Piper was floored. "Really?"

"Mm-hm," Jay smiled, "Bathroom is right over there, so you can find it at night if you need."

"Wow," she mused, poking her head into the guest bedroom that would serve as her room. Jay hadn't done a ton of decorating in there, but there was a bed, lamp, night table and dresser. "This is awesome."

"I'm glad you think so." Jay rubbed his hands together. "You wanna wash up and I'll set the table for some Chinese before it gets cold?"

Piper nodded and headed for the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Jay let out a heavy exhale. Kids were exhausting.

Piper managed a few bites of Chinese food but was practically falling asleep into her noodles. "It's really good," she informed Jay as he scarfed down his favorite fried rice, "I hadn't tried the noodles before."

"Yeah?" Jay raised his eyebrows, "Well I'm glad you like it." He offered a gentle smile as she stifled a yawn, "You've had a busy day, huh?"

She nodded tiredly. "I-I think I got up really early."

"I bet," Jay mused, remembering that less than twelve hours ago he had found the little girl cowering in a locked closet. "You want to jump in the shower before bed? I've got some towels and stuff."

Piper nodded again, "Thank you for dinner."

"It's my pleasure," Jay gave another smile as a yawn escaped her lips. "Let me get you those towels and we can get you in those new puppy pajamas. I think the dryer should be done."

After a shower, Piper perched on the other end of the couch from where Jay was sitting. "Love the pajamas," he grinned, "They look nice and cozy."

"They were warm from the dryer," she smiled, "Felt really nice."

"I'm glad," Jay exhaled, "How about we watch a movie or something til you feel ready to go to sleep, hm?" She nodded and leaned back against the couch, each minute growing more comfortable with Jay. "You like baseball?" he asked as he flipped through the channels in search of a movie suitable for a nine year old girl.

Piper shrugged, "I don't really know much about it. Or any sports, really." She stifled a yawn, "Never really watched it before."

"Oh man, you are missing out," Jay pointed the remote at the TV, "The game that's on tonight is the Cubs versus the Yankees. A good match up."

She furrowed her brow, "They have bad match ups?"

"I mean, some games are better than others. This one just happens to be a good one." He paused, "But we don't have to watch this, there are tons of games. I'm thinking maybe a movie or-"

"Could you tell me about it? Baseball?" Piper asked hopefully, "You seem to like it. Maybe I would too."

Jay grinned in response. "Oh, absolutely." He flipped back to the game and began explaining the rules, the players, the field. He dropped in a few anecdotes as well, stories about going to games with his younger brother Will when they were growing up, watching the World Series and even playing in his first little league game.

"You have a brother?" Piper asked when Jay mentioned Will for the second time during a story about how he and Will had purchased some of the worst seats in the stadium when they wanted to watch a game live.

"I do. His name is Will, and he's a surgeon. Works down at Chicago Med, actually with the doctor you met today." Jay smiled, "He moved here a few years ago, from New York. It's been good to have him around."

"Do you have parents?"

Jay swallowed, "My mom passed a few years ago, and my dad a few months ago, actually. My dad and I weren't on the best of terms, but my mom was really great."

"Can you tell me about her?" Piper asked softly, "About your mom?"

He nodded and let out a breath. "Where do I begin?"

Thank you again for all the reviews! Every time my inbox pinged I was like oops better write 500 more words. Plus I just LOVE Jay with kids.