Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter, I wasn't too sure about it and you all really made me feel better about it! Someone asked if I would do a part 2, and right now, I don't think there will be a second part. But I'm thinking there will be another appearance of Jay's PTSD at some point, probably once they have kids. Please let me know what you think about this chapter!

L: Limit

*Jay finds out about Erin's past in bits and pieces. But he always can tell when she has hit her limit and needs a break from talking about the past and needs a more positive glimpse into the future.

Jay listened quietly, holding in his disgust for the men that Erin had dated before him. She was never the type of person to just sit down and talk about every major thing that had ever happened in her life, but every once in a while, Jay could get some details out of her.

It had all started with the case they had worked on this morning. A seventeen-year-old girl had been beaten to death by her nineteen-year-old boyfriend. The case was already a rough one, but Erin had a history with abusive boyfriends, so Jay and Hank made sure to pay some extra attention to her throughout the day.

Most of the time, Jay could only get an "I'm fine" out of his girlfriend when they discussed a sore subject. He had asked her at the office and instead of the expected response, she said they could talk about it later.

Now, they were lying in their bed together, Erin with her head on Jay's chest, as she told him the story of her ex-boyfriend Alex.

"I met him at school and he seemed like the perfect guy. His parents were rich and he was attractive. He was the quarterback of the football team and he had good grades. I had never dated a boy like him before; most of my other exes were street kids with drug addicts for parents who hardly ever knew where they would be sleeping the next night. I thought I was doing better for myself by dating Alex, and I wanted to be better for Hank and Camille."

As she spoke, Jay gently stroked her hair. Her voice always had a different tone when she talked about the past, a much more vulnerable tone. It broke his heart.

"At first, he took me on dates and everything. Camille took me to buy special outfits, and I remember Hank being so overprotective about the whole thing. It was the first time I ever felt like I had real parents." She smiled sadly. "We would go to dinner or the movies or even just on walks around Chicago.

"Then, a month after we had been dating, I met his parents. His father hated the idea of him having a girlfriend because he wanted him to focus on football. I don't think his mom really liked me because I actually had a mind of my own. Then, everyone found out that Hank had pulled some strings to get me into school and that was the only reason I was there.

"I think Alex genuinely liked me at the beginning, and I liked him a lot too. He was different and it was nice. After he found out about my past, he stayed with me. But everyone started making fun of him for dating the "street rat" and I think it started to get to him. The first time he hit me was after a football game where someone on the other team brought up how his girlfriend was a charity case."

Jay held Erin a little tighter. He didn't understand why she had to have such a hard past, but he knew that it was what had made her into the amazing person she was today.

"After that, it all kind of escalated. He broke my wrist once and I lied and said that I fell down the stairs. He would slap me, choke me, he even knocked me unconscious once. Camille was the one who finally figured it out. She found me crying in my room trying to cover up the bruises and she told me that she would help me cover them. While she put my makeup on for me, I told her what had happened, but that she couldn't tell Hank because he would kill him and I didn't want him to get in trouble. She told me that she couldn't promise anything because she knew that Hank would want to know if someone was hurting his daughter. Even though my entire body was throbbing, I remember being so happy at the fact that she had called me 'his daughter'. I hugged her and she promised me that she would keep me safe from him. Alex was my last abusive boyfriend because after that, they watched out for me and made sure I was okay."

"What did Hank do when he found out?"

Erin lifted her head up slightly to look at her boyfriend. "Well, he found out because instead of telling Hank, Camille told Justin. He was only thirteen at the time, but he had been taught how to defend himself for his whole life. He and a couple of his friends beat Alex up, and Alex had to keep quiet because he was embarrassed that he had been beat up by a group of 8th graders.

"Justin got suspended from school. I can still remember Hank coming home from work. He had just solved a big case he had been working on, and he was home late almost every night which is why I think he hadn't noticed Alex was hurting me earlier. He came in and said he got an email from Justin's principal and that he was suspended for fighting. He started going over to him and…" Erin bit her lip.

"What happened?" Jay prodded gently, rubbing her back to try and encourage her to finish. If she wanted to stop, he would let her, but he hoped that she would try and finish the story.

"It's really embarrassing now that I think about it. I thought Hank was going to hit him."

Jay kissed her forehead. "That's not embarrassing considering how you grew up. What did you do?"

"I threw myself in front of Justin and I begged Hank not to hurt him. It's so weird how vividly I remember it. Justin was a lot taller than me, even at thirteen, so it's not like I was doing much. I looked up at Hank and I told him to hit me instead. And Hank's face…it just completely fell. He didn't look angry anymore and I remember looking over and seeing Camille and she looked like she was going to cry."

"How old were you when all of this happened?" Jay wondered.

"Sixteen." Erin continued with her story. "Hank stepped back a little and he told me that he would never, ever hurt Justin, or Camille, or me. And I yelled at him and told him that's what everyone says until they actually do it and that I don't believe him. He asked Justin what he had been suspended for, and Justin told him everything about Alex and I had to just stand there and listen to them talk about me like I wasn't there. Hank got mad and he tried to leave, but Camille took him into the kitchen. I didn't know it until a couple years ago when I asked him, but she told him that I needed a father right now more than I needed revenge. Justin and I were sitting in the living room and he told me he wasn't sorry for getting suspended, and I thanked him for what he did.

"I don't know if I ever told you this, but Justin was the first one I really connected with because he was so much easier than Hank and Camille. I had already had a brother once, so that was familiar. I had never had parents, so I didn't know how to act with Hank and Camille. That's when I started pushing the boundaries a little more, and not too long after, I threw that party where Justin threw up all over the couches that I told you about once. I guess I wanted to see how much of what they were saying was the truth, and they never gave up on me."

"Did Alex ever get in trouble for what he did to you?"

Erin shook her head. "No one cared enough. I was just the street rat, remember? They all found out that he hit me, but they thought it was a good thing. The people at that school didn't want me there."

Jay knew she had reached her limit for the night. She always struggled with talking about her past, but throw in the case from earlier and the fact that Camille had been involved, he knew she wasn't going to be able to handle much more.

"You didn't deserve any of that, Erin. I'm happy that you had Hank and Camille there for you. Did Justin get in trouble for what he did?"

Erin laughed. "Hank told him he would buy him whatever he wanted, and he expected him to always stand up for me, but maybe not do it so violently." She made eye contact with him. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Mmhmm. How do you feel about getting a puppy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I think we should get a puppy."

"Jay, we work a lot. We don't really have time to take care of a puppy, and we live in an apartment. Our puppy needs a backyard."

"Alright, but one day we can get one?"

He watched her smile. "Yeah. One day."

"What would you name it?"

"Well, it would have to be a rescue dog. I don't know what I would want it to be named though."

"We've got plenty of time to think of names. What kind of house would we live in once we got our puppy?" Jay wondered, trying to distract her from the pain of her past with a glimpse into their future.

"I like the idea of living in a nice neighborhood where our kids could walk down the street to play with their friends. I think it would be a three-bedroom house, with a master bathroom attached to our room with a big bathtub cause ours isn't cutting it." He laughed quietly. "Our backyard would be big enough that we could build a tree house and have a swing set and maybe even a pool."

"Definitely a pool." Jay chimed in. "I can imagine us in the pool on our days off, swimming with the kids and laying on pool rafts." He kissed her forehead. "How many kids do you see us having?"

"Two. What about you?"

"Two." He agreed. "A boy first, and then a little girl."

"What do you think they look like?" Erin asked.

"They both have your dark hair." He said, referring to her natural hair color. "Our boy has your eyes, our girl has mine, and they both have your dimples."

"And our girl has your freckles." Erin chimed in.

"She would be tiny and fierce, just like you. We'll let her like whatever she wants- video games, Barbie dolls, soccer, cheerleading, anything. Same goes for her brother."

"He would be a lot like you. Funny, protective…"

Jay smiled. "You think I'm funny?"

"Don't get cocky, Halstead." Erin continued her ideas. "Both of our kids would always have us there. We won't be those parents who constantly miss games and spelling bees and dance recitals because we're too busy with work."

"What are their names?"

Erin started to think. "I don't know. Maybe our boy would be Henry, after Hank. Or even his middle name could just be Henry."

"I like that idea. Maybe our girl could have my mother's name as her middle name. We could fit Camille in there too."

"What first names do you like?" Erin asked. "Would you want our boy to be junior?"

"No, he should have his own name. I've always liked the name Connor."

"Connor Henry Halstead." Erin stated. "I think it's perfect."

"What about girl names? Do you have any that you love?"

"I love the name Sophia." Erin admitted.

"Sophia Camille Elizabeth Halstead." Jay shrugged. "It's kind of long. Maybe we'll have to have two little girls."

"I don't think I want more than two kids." Erin said. "It's the perfect amount to make sure they get enough attention and we would be able to give them anything they wanted."

"Yeah, you're right." Jay stroked her hair. "How long do you think it'll be until Connor and Sophia are here?"

Erin smiled at the way he said their imaginary children's names. "A few years. I want to do it the right way; get married, buy a house, get a dog, then have kids."

"That sounds perfect. But do you know what the best part about our future is going to be?"

"What?"

"You're going to be the most amazing wife and mother in the entire world. Our kids are going to love you so much, and I will never, ever stop loving you."

Erin leaned up to kiss him. It last a few seconds before she pulled away. "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled. "Now what do you say we get practicing on making Connor and Sophia?"

Next up… M: Making a Team