I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and stayed safe. I had planned to post this last week, but it just got away from me. This takes place when Liam is eight, during the time Jay and Erin were dating and living together. Erin discovers that Liam is feeling a little jealous.

Making Waves

Both Jay and Matt Casey watched the bobbing heads of their offspring drift further away. They stood up simultaneously as they realized Liam and Kyle were too far out and began yelling their names and waving at them to swim towards shore. The lifeguard was already out of his chair and walking towards the water, his eyes fixed on the youngsters.

"I think they're yelling at us," Liam said as he looked back towards the beach.

"Probably. It figures," Kyle said, "finally find a spot in the water where we aren't surrounded by other people, plus some awesome waves, and the adults have a fit."

"We're good swimmers, we'll be okay," Liam declared as he continued to tread water.

"Sure we will, but my dad is heading towards the water," Kyle said as he saw Matt talking to the lifeguard, probably explaining he was a parent of one of the swimmers and a firefighter. "We better swim closer to shore, if my dad makes it out here we'll be in trouble."

"Okay," Liam said, easily agreeing with the eleven year old.

Neither knew the other boy would be at the North Avenue Beach today, as their paths just happened to cross. Matt having plans later that night with Gabby, had carved out some time to spend with Kyle, mostly to wear him out for the babysitter that night. He would have a better time if he knew the boy was exhausted and could be planted in front of the TV with little chance of him seeking any adventure.

Jay had finally succumbed to Liam's begging to get to the beach, a promise that had been made weeks ago and about the only way he and Erin had gotten out the door the night before. They had had a lovely time, but the sitter had commented that Liam had not been pleasant after their departure. Jay had almost canceled the days plans but gave his son the benefit of the doubt and packed up the bucket, shovels and towels and headed out.

The two boys slowly made their way towards shore and as they approached the halfway point stopped and tread water again. "I'm glad you were here today," Kyle said, "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, me too." Liam said wiping water from his face. He always liked to hang out with Kyle because being three years older, he just seemed so mature and cool and was always really nice to Liam. "Is it just you and your dad here?"

"Yep. He and Gabby are going somewhere tonight so my dad thought this would be some kind of peace offering. I think she's getting her nails done or something now."

"It was just supposed to be me and my dad but Erin decided to come too." Liam complained.

"Detective Lindsay? I didn't know they were together."

"Yeah. They are."

"Don't you like her?"

"I do. She's pretty cool and she makes my dad happy. But they're together all the time at work and they went out last night so I kinda just wanted today to be me and my dad."

"Yeah, I get it. It's the same with my dad and Gabby. But you guys were building a sand castle together when we got here, so he was playing with you."

"Yeah, we swam and played on the beach. Erin got some rocks for the castle."

"Dammit," Kyle said quietly, trying to show off his seniority.

"What?" Liam asked as he looked up and saw Matt looking their direction waving again.

"Let's go! Both of you!" He yelled.

"Crap. Come on," Kyle said, allowing the eight year old to swim ahead of him.

They dodged people as they walked out of the water and towards their parents. "What?" Kyle asked with an edge to his voice.

"Whoa, take it down a notch," Matt warned. "It's time to go."

"Already?"

"We've been here long enough and I have to get a few things done before I go back out tonight," Matt explained as Kyle turned towards Liam to share a look of disdain. "Tell Liam and Jay goodbye."

Kyle gave his farewells as did Matt and they headed off to the beach house so Kyle could get changed.

"I'm going to go back in the water," Liam announced but Jay grabbed his arm before he could go anywhere.

"No you're not."

"Why not!" Liam demanded to know.

"Because you went out too far and ignored us when we were waving you back in," Jay explained.

"We didn't see you," Liam lied.

"Oh you saw us. You can have a seat on your towel and dry off," Jay said as he ushered his son back towards their spot in the sand.

But Liam was frustrated and not about to go quietly. "I'm going back in the water," he said trying to twist away from his father as they neared their home base.

"I just told you no," Jay said letting go of Liam, fully expecting him to sit down. But Liam was still upset and decided to kick sand all over Jay and Erin's towels. "Oh, okay, that's it then, we're leaving!"

"No," Liam whined.

"We've been here for over two hours and that's been plenty of time. Apparently you're tired and it's time to go home."

"But I don't want to go home. You were gone more than two hours last night," he complained.

"Pick up your stuff and put it back in the bag while I shake out the towels," Jay instructed. But Liam took his bucket and tossed it aside, nearly hitting a nearby woman. Jay's eyes grew wide and he looked down at his defiant son and grabbed his arm and headed up to the grassy area where there was a tad bit of privacy.

Erin was stepping from the water when she saw Jay hauling Liam away. She had just gone back in the water to get her legs wet as she her suit had just gotten dry from sitting in the sun. She watched her boyfriend bend over and talk to his son, faces close and both irritated. She wasn't sure what had happened but apparently it wasn't good.

She and Liam got along well, however there had been some turbulence recently. He was a good kid, but it seemed as of late he had been more irritable. She had been told more than once by strangers what an adorable family they were. In fact just the other night after they had eaten out Jay had pulled Liam aside—that did seem to happening a lot—a woman said she was a photographer for a local modeling company said they'd be perfect for some print ads and gave Erin her business card.

She knew she should have stayed home today and had planned on it, but Jay had asked her to come along and she hadn't been to the beach yet that summer and suddenly it seemed like the thing to do. But she detected some resentment from Liam before they even left the apartment, but dismissed it. Clearly she shouldn't have.

She looked up to see Jay with his hands on each of Liam's arms while the kid refused to look at him. Jay let go with one hand and cupped Liam's chin trying to force the boy to look at him, but Liam turned away and she grimaced, as Jay, who clearly had had enough of his son's behavior spin the boy around and land several snappy swats on his tiny rear end. This didn't seem to appease either one, as Liam's face twisted as he tried not to cry and Jay looked defeated and worn out.

They got back to the towels just as she did. "And you can apologize to Erin, since we have to leave because you can't behave."

"It's okay, I don't think I can handle another layer of sunscreen," she said as she bent over to pick her towel up and free it of the sand that now covered it.

"Pick up your toys and put them in the bag," Jay ordered. But Liam just stood there. "Then don't and some other kid can have them."

"No," Liam whined, tears threatening.

Jay bent down and looked at his son, "what did I say to you? Huh? You don't back-talk me and you don't disobey me. Now get your stuff or we're leaving it."

Liam finally kicked it into gear and gathered up his items as Jay supervised and Erin gathered their remaining items.

Five minutes into their twelve minute walk to the car Liam lagged behind, dragging his bag of toys behind him, the plastic rattling at each bump in the sidewalk. He was several feet behind the adults and appeared to have no desire to get any closer.

"I'm sorry," Jay apologized. "He's just being a pain in the ass."

"It's my fault." Erin said.

"How is it your fault?"

"I should have let you two have time together without me. We went out last night, today was for you guys."

"I want to spend time with you as well."

"Well—I'm flattered and glad that you do. But you have to look at it through his eyes. We're together all day and many nights."

"Yeah, at work," Jay pointed out.

"I doubt that matters to him. The fact is at work or not, we're still together."

"Maybe, but he doesn't get to act like this."

Erin looked back at the sad little boy behind them and her heart ached. She had never had a father or any male role model, or any decent role model until Hank Voight had showed up in her life. She wasn't sure what you did with angry little kids who were expected to behave. She and Jay hasn't been dating that long and she had played no part in any discipline—she hadn't had to. But if they were going to have a future together, they would have to figure some things out. But right now, she let Jay hold the reins all by himself.

They finally got to the car and Jay put everything in the trunk and put a towel down on the seat for Liam to sit on. "Make sure you stay on the towel," he instructed as Liam was still pretty wet.

"I will," Liam said through gritted teeth as Jay climbed in the passenger seat as Erin had already commandeered the drivers seat.

"Knock it off right now with the attitude," Jay threatened. "In fact you still need to apologize to Erin for making us leave." But Liam just folded his arms and looked out the window. "Can you stop being a brat for one second!"

"I'm not a brat," Liam bellowed.

"You are certainly acting like one." Liam just huffed and then remained quiet. "We are not done with this conversation." Jay warned.

"Whatever," Liam replied, causing Jay to turn in his seat to look back at his offspring.

"Jay, let's just get home before we continue this."

Jay shook his head at Liam but turned back around and stayed quiet.

"I want you in the shower. I'll bring you in some dry clothes," Jay said as they stepped into the apartment.

"I was in the water—why do I have to take a shower?" Liam complained.

"Because you don't need Lake Michigan stuck in your hair along with the sand."

"But you went into the water and aren't taking a shower," he pointed out.

"We showered when we got out of the water at the beach house after Matt and Kyle showed up. Matt watched you swim."

Liam seemed to chew on the reply and then remained quiet and finally headed to the bathroom. "Don't screw around in there," Jay shouted at the closed door as Erin came into the room with a full laundry basket.

"When he comes out you need to talk to him."

"Oh, I plan on it," Jay assured.

Erin tilted her head as her shoulders sagged. "Look, I'm not a parent but maybe I can see things because I'm not—"

"See what?" Jay asked as he walked into Liam's bedroom and grabbed some clean clothes. "What?"

"Liam is a good kid. You've done a great job with him."

"I'm sensing a but here."

"But he's a kid Jay—a little boy and he is dealing with a lot and you need to cut him some slack. I mean he's going through a lot of changes."

"Slack? So you're saying that I went too far? That I shouldn't have punished him?"

"I don't know what exactly happened so I can't say. But, perhaps talking to him, getting to the bottom of the reason why he is acting out might serve you better."

"Oh okay then. If I had acted like he did at the beach, defying me while in the water and then again out of the water. Throwing stuff, kicking sand and then refusing to listen—I would have had a hell of a lot more happen—I would have been lit up."

"I take it that isn't a good thing?"

"Not at all," Jay replied, clearly drifting back to his childhood. "That's what Will and I called it. I think it's because after my dad was done it felt like you were on fire," Jay said as he grabbed a beer from the fridge as he still held Liam's clothes and realized the shower still hadn't been turned on.

"Hey, get in the shower," he said as he knocked on the door.

"I am," Liam replied one second before they heard the water start.

Jay opened the door and tossed the clothes in and grabbed the dirty pile from the floor and tossed it into the basket as he closed the door behind him.

"Well, I'm sorry," Erin said.

Jay shrugged. "It wasn't like that all the time—but—once when we were heading to Wisconsin for a week of vacation we didn't even make it out of the city before my dad pulled over and hauled us both out of the car. Needless to say we were quiet the rest of the ride. But when we got there—we had the best time—it's like he established his dominance already and once it was out of the way we were allowed to have fun."

"And you did?"

"Yeah, we fished, swam, hiked—yeah, it was a great week. So tell me what Liam's problem is since I can't seem to figure it out."

"Jay, I'm not telling you how to parent."

"Yeah, you kinda are."

"Look, I get it—you give him an inch and he'll be slinging drugs on the corner in no time."

"No, I don't think that will happen," Jay amended, "but he is not going to be one of these foot-stomping, whiny, demanding little punks. I'm not going to have it. He screws up, he's going be disciplined. He talks back, he is going to be corrected and if he doesn't accept what I'm telling him and I feel like I'm out of options, I'll do what I feel I have to. But please tell me why he is upset?"

"He's jealous Jay. Jealous of me, of us, our relationship and I would be shocked if he wasn't."

"Yes, we are together, but he loves you."

"I'm glad that he does and I love him. We get along great, but think about it Jay, his whole world has turned upside down. It has always been the two of you and now it's not."

"She's been gone a while but there was his mother," Jay pointed out.

"Yes and no—when he was with his mom it was just the two of them and when it was his weekend with you, it was just the two of you—I'm assuming you didn't invite dates over during your time together."

"No, I didn't. So, you're saying he doesn't want to share me?"

"He is sharing you and he's doing a great job about it, but it's catching up with him. He sees us go off to work together every day, come home, usually together. We went out last night and he just wanted you to himself today."

"He took off with Kyle not long after we got there."

"But you didn't know Kyle and Matt would be there and it doesn't matter, he wanted to be put first today and when I came along, I took that away from him. Maybe he acted like a brat, but the feelings that brought it on were real and he had a right to them."

"So am I lousy father then?"

"Don't be like that Jay, that is not what I am saying at all. You know him the best and maybe you did exactly what he needed, but you also have to look past the behavior and figure out what caused it so it doesn't continue to happen. I have a feeling that wasn't one of your father's strengths and why in your eyes he fell short."

Jay took a swallow of beer and licked his lips, a smile that meant anything but happiness crossed his lips. "I'm not sure he measured up at all."

"You had happy memories, you just told me one."

"But they were only after and before bad ones."

"Every time?"

"I don't know—look, we just didn't get along. I always felt like no matter what I did, whatever choice I made it wasn't the right one in his eyes."

"And maybe you want to produce the perfect grandchild to prove you are the better father?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"Talk to him," Erin said as Liam walked into the room, running his fingers through his wet hair. "I'm going to get these wet and dirty clothes into the wash."

The two Halstead's watched her walk out of the apartment and then Jay patted the couch next to him, signaling Liam to have a seat. "We need to talk."

"Okay," Liam said quietly, as all of his defiance seemed to stay at the beach.

"How come you were so mad today?" Jay asked causing Liam to shrug. The universal boy code for 'lots of reasons, but I can't figure out how to tell you.' "Is it because Erin came along?" Liam shrugged again, meaning 'yes.' "You wanted to just have a day with me huh?"

"You guys went out last night and I couldn't come, so I thought when you said we were going to the beach it was just going to be us."

"I see." Jay said. "And what about the restaurant last week when you wouldn't sit still and kept going to the bathroom and playing with the salt and pepper and napkins?"

"You said it was just going to be us cause Erin had to work late, but then she came home and you said it was just in time and were so happy to see her and I felt—"

"Left out?" Jay interjected.

"I guess. Because when she comes you guys talk and it's like I'm not even there."

"We both talk to you. In fact Erin asks you all kinds of questions."

"But then it's just you guys talking and I get forgotten. You talk about work and stuff."

"I'm sorry that you feel left out. I know that it had just been the two of us for so long and I'm still trying to figure out how to balance everything. I definitely want to be a good father, but I want to be a good boyfriend too."

"Are you guys going to get married?"

"Oh. Wow. Um, I don't know about that. Not right now, but maybe one day."

"Will Erin's last name be Halstead?"

"If she wants it to be."

"Would I have to call her mom?"

"Only if you wanted to."

"What if mom comes back? Would you have to get divorced then?"

Jay realized just how many questions and uncertainties his son had. "If, and I say if, Erin and I get married, it would have no bearing on my relationship with your mother. We were together a long time ago and we were friends but we weren't in love anymore."

"But you were in love when I was born?"

Jay wasn't quite sure how to respond. "Our love created you."

"But you don't like her anymore?"

"Well—she is gone now and we have to move on. But your mother will always love you and I know that I will always love you."

"Okay," Liam accepted.

"But your behavior today was unacceptable and I don't want a repeat. Do you know why I was upset with you?"

"Cause I didn't listen."

"And?" Jay encouraged.

"Cause I kicked sand and threw my bucket."

"It's okay to be mad, but is it okay to do that?"

"No," Liam said quietly as he looked down into his lap.

"I'm glad that we talked and now I know why you were upset. But sometimes we have to share even when we don't want to. You can talk to me when you feel mad or disappointed, you might not get what you want, but maybe there is a reason why we have to do it a certain way. Sometimes you have to give some things up for someone else."

"Okay," Liam sighed.

"I know you've lost some of our time together, but you and Erin have fun together don't you? She took you to the park last week when I got stuck at work. That was fun right?"

"Yeah."

"And she took you to the riverwalk and bought you ice cream a few nights ago when I wasn't feeling well didn't she?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Sometimes you get extra stuff and sometimes you have to give some stuff up."

"You like Erin right?"

"Yeah, she's cool. I like her."

"Me too," Jay said pulling his son close just as Erin walked in the door.

"Well that looks better," she commented. "And check this out," she said as she pulled out a pair of tickets from her back pocket. "I ran into my neighbor who had planned to take her granddaughter, but it didn't work out so she gave me two tickets for a play at the children's theater, let's see" she said looking at the tickets, "it says the production is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," she said handing Jay the tickets. "It's for tomorrow afternoon, one for each of you. You like that book don't you Liam?"

"I do! Can we go Dad? Please?"

"Sure, we can," Jay said looking at the tickets. "Just the two of us."

"Yay!" Liam yelled jumping up and heading to his room. "I'm going to find my book."

"Yeah, you go do that," Jay said before returning his attention back to Erin. "The neighbor just happened to have these tickets, but couldn't use them?" He asked as she sat down next to him.

"Well—not quite. I had bought them a few weeks ago on a whim and then totally forgot about them. I discovered them in the back pocket of some pants I was throwing into the washer. Look, I love you and I love Liam, but sometimes a girl just needs some downtime. You two go off and enjoy Willy Wonka and I'll just wallow around in the solitude left behind."

"If you're sure," Jay said, teasingly.

"Oh, I'm sure. The beach was great, but mama needs her relaxation."

"Well, then you shall get it," Jay said leaning over and kissing her.