Next OS is up! Thank you for the kind reviews. Please continue to review, and give any prompts if you have any.

Appreciate it!

I wish you could see yourself through my eyes
I always forget that you can't read my mind

It was a chilly Friday night and thankfully the snow and wind had let up so that the end of Chicago winter wasn't going to be as harsh. The team had been called out to a robbery homicide and first on scene was Halstead and Lindsay. They rolled up in their truck and headed into the house, thanking the officer that lifted the tape for them to enter.

"We got the call around 2240. Arrived on scene, announced ourselves, didn't get an answer back." Officer Jenkins was giving Jay and Erin the run down. Jay took notes as Erin examined the room. "I entered the property first, my partner-" Jenkins was interrupted by Erin.

"Jay, I have something." Erin murmured softly, her hand hovering over her holstered weapon. She could hear slight rattling coming a closed cupboard door.

Jay looked at Jenkins, "Did you clear the house Officer?"

"Well yes, but not the cupboards. I cleared downstairs, and my partner cleared upstairs. Then we radioed it in, requesting for you guys." Jenkins scratched his head, hoping he didn't just screw up in front of 2 Intelligence detectives.

By this time, Jay and Erin had both their weapons pointed at the cupboard door. Jenkins drew his as well. Jay nodded towards Erin and she swung the door open, all three guns were immediately lowered, as they were faced with a trembling five-year-old girl.

Erin holstered her weapon and reached out for the child. She coaxed her out of the cupboard and hoisted the girl onto her hips. "It's okay sweetie, don't worry." She attempted to calm the girl and took her outside to be checked out by the paramedics. Jay's eyes followed her out, in awe of how well the young girl took to his partner. He watched out the window as the child clung to Erin, and Erin had no choice but to allow Sylvie to examine the poor girl while she was still sitting on her lap.

The partners were at Chicago Med, waiting for someone to give the child the all clear. With the arrival of the rest of the team at the scene, both Jay and Erin were free to accompany her to the hospital, where they found out her full name, Lilianna Jade Parkman. Lilianna had fallen asleep on Erin's lap when Natalie Manning approached them.

"Physically, she's fine, apart from a couple of scratches probably when she was climbing into the cupboard. You guys are good to go, have you managed to find a place for her to stay tonight?" Nat asked.

Jay opened his mouth to reply, but Erin beat him to it. "No, but she's going to stay with me tonight. It's too late to call anyone, so I'll take her to mine to get her settled in, and we'll see what happens tomorrow. Thanks so much Nat."

Natalie smiled and nodded, "Call me if you need me."

Erin turned to face Jay who was already staring at her, a small smile gracing his face and a weird look in his eye. "What?"

Jay shook his head. Erin sighed, "I know, I'm sorry, I know we were supposed to spend time together after work today, but I won't let her stay in small shelter or foster family. Not now. Not when she's just lost hers."

"Er, it's fine. Let's take her home ok?" Jay led the way to his truck, and for the first time jumped into the driver seat. With his partner not even being able to pry Lilianna's fingers away from her shirt, Jay was nominated driver. He grinned as he slid into the seat. Erin rolled her eyes.

"Do not get comfortable, this is a temporary seating arrangement."

Jay simply laughed and drove into the night.

As Erin settled Lilianna into her guest bedroom, Jay was in the kitchen preparing a late night snack and watching how motherly his girlfriend was being. Lilianna began to stir as Erin pulled up the covers, "Mommy?" Erin's heart broke at hearing the small voice.

"Hey honey, no. It's Erin remember? I brought you home from the hospital, you're staying at my house tonight. Okay sweetie?"

"Can you-can you stay with me please?" Lilianna sobbed, absolutely terrified and afraid.

Erin nodded, and slid into the bed with her. She held and rocked her, singing softly until Lilianna was out like a light. Jay watched the entire exchanged, his heart completely full. He always wanted children, that was a given. He always wanted a family. Always imagined it, but the mother figure in his imaginations were always blurred. When he started to fall in love with his partner, the blurred figure slowly began to form the outline of Erin Lindsay. Seeing Erin with Lilianna just sealed his future. For him, this was it. Erin Lindsay was it. He chuckled at himself, knowing that if he said anything to Erin this early on in the relationship would have her running for the hills.

"What's wrong?" Jay was broken out of his reverie as Erin approached him.

"Nothing," Jay shook his head and cleared his throat, "Did she finally fall asleep?"

"Yeah, I finally got her to sleep." Erin tucked her hands into her pockets and looked over her shoulder into the guest room.

"You're really good with her, you know that?" Jay grabbed Erin by her hands and dragged her towards him, encasing her between his arms.

Erin shrugged, "I just know what I've been through. I don't want the same thing for her. So even if I could try and help her to the best of my ability so that it wouldn't happen, I'd do it. I just, I really want to find the assholes who did this to her. To her family." Erin wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and squeezed. Squeezed him for every anger, hurt, scared emotion that she was feeling.

Jay could feel his lungs being choked out, but he didn't care. Erin's the single most important thing in his life, and he would do anything to protect her, defend her and comfort her.

The apartment door swung open, and Erin kicked off her shoes and fell back onto the couch, exhausted after the day she'd had. They caught a break in the case and finally made an arrest, well two arrests. Former employees of Lilianna's father who felt like they had been wronged. That was it. All because they got fired, and Lilianna will never have a mother, father, or sister again. They found Lilianna's aunt, a lovely lady who lived in Michigan, and after a tearful goodbye, was her official guardian. Of course, just Erin's luck, was that all this included the fact that one of the biggest break in the case came from Bunny, who was sleeping with one of the killers. All the bad memories of her childhood that she'd been suppressing for the whole case came bubbling to the surface.

Jay shut the door quietly and brought the takeout to Erin's kitchen island, sighing as he went about organizing her shoes, so it wasn't haphazardly strewn in the hall. The small cries of his girlfriend alerted him to her position on the couch. He gently sat down as to not startle her and was shocked when she crawled over to him and on his lap.

"You-you must think I'm such an idiot, crying over this case, Bunny and my lost childhood," Erin bitterly stated, angry at the tears that she was producing.

Jay shook his head, "Babe, you can't read minds. You have no idea what I'm thinking, and I wish you can see yourself through my eyes. You are the most kickass detective I know. Screw Bunny. Screw all the stupid things that she's done. Yes, she didn't give you the best childhood, but you know what, something good came out of that. You met Voight, you gained a home, a family, friends, a job. You solved this case. YOU. Why? Because you got the break in the case. You arrested the assholes that did this. You gave Lilianna closure. You are amazing Erin Lindsay, you tackle the worst guys out there, you are hot in those dresses when you go undercover, you are resilient and manage to bounce back 100x stronger. So you have your flaws Er, but you know what, I'm committed to you and to our relationship because of those flaws."

Erin's eyes shined with tears as Jay wrapped up his rant and leaned forward to attach her lips to his. "You forgot one thing Jay Halstead," She replied as she pulled away.

"What's that?"

"I found you too."

A typical Halstead grin appeared on his face as he pulled Erin towards him and attacked her lips.

DONE! I felt I wrote Erin a little OOC, but I thought it'd be interesting to see the more vulnerable side of her. I hope you enjoy!

Please R&R, and leave any prompts you may have.

Genie