A/N: A little flashback of Erin and Camille in this one. Hope you like it, let me know what you think :)

A few days later while Erin was out with Kim, Jay got a cab to Hank's house with his mum's ring burning a hole in his pocket. He slowly walked up the path to the house and then knocked three times on the door. Jay heard footsteps and then Hank barked, "Who is it?" But before Jay could answer, the door swung open and Hank rasped, "Oh, it's you… what do you need?" Jay felt a little flustered, almost under pressure to immediately ask Hank what he'd gone over to ask. But instead he asked if he could come in. Once Jay had entered the house, it hit him how much this house once used to be Erin's home. As Jay looked around, he saw pictures of Hank's family hanging on the walls, many of which included Erin. Although Hank only came into her life when she was 12 and his family only became her family when she was 14, they had such an effect on shaping her into the woman she became. Hank offered Jay a seat and then sat down opposite him. Jay said, "Boss, I.." at the same time as Hank said, "What are you…" Then they both stopped speaking, assuming the other man would continue. An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Hank stared ahead at Jay, just waiting for him to speak. Jay paused for a few moments, trying to remember his rehearsed speech and then he said, "Boss, I have a question for you, but I want you to think about it before you give me an answer." Hank just nodded in response, so Jay continued, "I know that Erin and I haven't been together that long, and in the beginning, you weren't too thrilled about the idea of us being a couple. But I have cared about her and I have loved her since we first met. I know that you're old fashioned about this sort of thing, but I also know Erin and she once told me that if someone had to ask her dad's permission to ask her out, then they shouldn't bother. I'm a bit like you though and I think talking to you first is the right decision, so here it goes. Hank…sir, I would like your blessing to ask Erin to marry me." Once Jay finished speaking, he looked into Hank's eyes and saw pure surprise in them. Hank then asked, "Is this something Erin wants?" Lifting an eyebrow as if to question how well Jay knows Erin. Jay responded, "Uh…well, I've not told her directly that I'm going to propose but recently we've been talking a lot about the future, about what it's going to look like and marriage had been in all those conversations…so, um, your blessing...I would really appreciate it and I know Erin would too. I want you to know that you saying no won't stop me, but you saying yes would mean a lot to Erin and myself. She values your opinion so much and so do I, and we both want you to be involved in our lives, I mean if you want to be…" Jay would have kept talking if Hank hadn't interrupted him by saying, "Yes." Jay's eyes went wide, he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. So he picked up his cane from where it was resting against the sofa and then used to stand up. Then he said, "Well thank you, boss…um, so I think Erin was planning on coming over for Sunday breakfast, so…um …I'll see you then." Jay turned and moved towards the door, but as he pulled it open Hank called out, "Jay," so Jay stopped and turned back towards his boss. Once Hank reached Jay, he stuck out his hand to shake his soon-to-be son-in-law's hand, then he said, "Welcome to the family."

XXX

Hank was sat in his favourite armchair, thinking about what Jay had just asked him and it really cemented how much Erin had changed in a positive way since she and Hank had first met. All he could think about was Erin's attitude towards the future when she had first moved in with the family. It was something that Hank and his wife would talk about quite a lot because some of the things Erin would say about herself would upset them both.

1999

Erin and Camille were both sitting at the dining room table. Erin was sipping on a large cup of coffee, while Camille was flipping through a recipe book trying to pick out a dessert to make that afternoon. Erin looked over at Camille and then said, "What are you planning on making?" Camille was rather surprised because Erin was normally quite quiet, then she replied, "oh I'm not sure yet, would you like to help me? Might I be able to entice you if I let you choose what we make?" Erin pulled a face, shook her head and then said, "um I don't think so, I mean it's not really me, baking, kids, homemaking. That's not really what I imagine for my future." Erin tried to laugh it off, but Camille was intrigued by Erin's statement, it was the most she had revealed in her few months of living with them. So she just tried to keep her talking by saying, "What do you mean, that's not you?" in the least judgmental tone possible. Erin replied, "It's just, look at what I come from. I really appreciate what you and detective Voight have done for me over the past couple of months. I mean you've both finally given me home where I feel safe and I can rely on there being food in the kitchen and water coming from the tap and if I need it, I know I can come to either of you with anything. But I'm 14 and this is just happening for me. I don't know how to raise kids because when I was one, I was left alone. My dad was gone, and Bunny was Bunny. I don't know how to bake. I mean I barely know how to cook. And with my record, it's unlikely I'll ever get a good job that pays anything other than the minimum wage. At this moment I can't imagine loving a boy enough to want to move in with him let alone spend the rest of my life with him. Look at all the baggage I have and I'm only 14, and I think it's unlikely that I'll overcome all these messy feelings I have enough to get married and start popping out a bunch of babies." Camille was saddened to hear what Erin thought of herself, to have such low self-confidence and such low hopes for her future. So she did the only thing she could think of in that moment, and that was to get up from her chair, walk over to Erin and wrap her arms around her. "You can do whatever you want with your future and you can be whoever you want to be. I want you to know that there is nothing holding you back and no one judging you for your decisions. You can do what you want, and no one can tell you it's wrong whether that's being a housewife with millions of babies or it's being a police officer or a world travelling singer. As long as you are healthy and happy, Hank and I will support you in whatever you do," Camille said and then she squeezed Erin a little tighter before letting her go.

Only a few weeks later, Erin had knocked on Hanks office door with a form in her hand. She had recently started St Ignatius and was struggling a little to settle in. Hank wondered why she looked so nervous standing in the doorway. Hank started the conversation hoping to put her at ease, "Hi Erin, is there something you want to talk about?" Erin nodded and then cleared her throat a little before she said, "There's this thing that the school are making us do, it's called take-your-daughter-to-work-day and I was wondering if maybe I could come with you? I mean I know my record means that I can't be a cop but I'd really like to see what the system is like from your side if you're ok with it…" Hank gave her a comforting smile, nodding along as she was speaking. Then when she was finished, he said, "I think it's a good idea, you know Erin you've got a lot of qualities that I'd look for in a good partner. You're tough, smart, quick on your feet and you have a great power to stay calm even when everything else around you is chaotic. And if being a cop is something you're really interested in then I'll see if I can pull some strings and get you into the academy once you've completed all the necessary requirements." Erin gave him a shy smile, tucked some stray hairs behind her ear and then she said, "Thanks Hank, I appreciate it. I..uh..I'm going to go help and Camille with dinner." Then Erin quickly turned on her heel and walked out of Hanks eyeline. Hank was happy that Erin was thinking about the future. He knew she was a smart cookie and could succeed in anything she wanted to. It's just that she had spent her first 14 years being told that she'd never amount to anything and after a while she had started to believe it. Maybe after riding with Hank she could see a career for herself in law enforcement.

When Hank thought about where Erin started and now where she was in her life, he was filled with pride. That she was so happy in herself and had opened her heart to someone else. Hank had always told her that even though the job was fulfilling, having someone to go home to at the end of the day made it so much better. Having someone to spend your life with meant that you could share the successes with them but also lean on them for support when you needed it. And it was something Hank valued with Camille at home, having that support and stability. And he was so glad that Erin had found that for herself in Jay.