A/N: To the guest reviewer who keeps asking me to write a chapter based on PD's Season 10 finale, I will get to it eventually but it may not be for a while. Please don't keep asking me about it.

This is the next part of the previous chapter and picks up where it left off but there will be a time jump at the end. Matt Casey is still in Chicago. I don't own any of the characters except my own.

Back to Normal

Hank, Olivia and Erin arrived at Erin and Jay's. They got out of the SUV and went in. Lucy had the kids in the kitchen and they were baking.

"Hello."

"That was fast."

"We have a surprise for the kids."

The kids looked and saw Hank.

"Dad!"

"Daddy!"

All the kids went to give Hank a hug.

"Are you home with us for good?"

"I am."

"When's the trial?"

"They dropped the charges."

"Yes! I'm glad."

"Missed you, Daddy."

"I missed you too, Pumpkin."

"We need to let Jay and Justin know."

"I texted them on the way back here. Olive too."

"Good."

"We bake cookies."

"Are you helping or are you just sampling?"

"She's mostly sampling but that's ok."

"Dad."

"What?"

"Were you bad?"

"Nope. Someone tried makin' it look like I was though but I wasn't."

"Mom solved the crime like she always does?"

"In this case, I did."

"The number 1 thing in solving a case is evidence. There was none."

"Exactly. Just because it was his gun that was used, doesn't mean he committed the crime."

The doorbell rang, so Erin went to answer it. It was Ed."

"Hey, Erin."

"Hey. Come on in."

"Thanks."

Ed came in and went into the kitchen.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hi Uncle Ed."

"Hey, you 4. I figured you'd want your gun and badge back."

"Thanks."

Erin took his gun and went to lock it up. Then she came back downstairs.

"Thanks, Erin."

"No problem."

"Ed, would you like some coffee or something?"

"Yeah, sure."

Lucy got Ed a cup of coffee.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Olivia, Hank, Erin and Ed went into the living room, while Lucy and the kids continued baking.

"I have a feeling that Elliot is still going to try to put the blame on Hank."

"No doubt but now the DA knows he's not credible and so does IAB. I've always known that."

"Yeah, I know. I know Hank isn't perfect and I knew about some of the things he had done but I knew how he behaved in the Interrogation Room when we first met. We both wanted to be open and honest with each other. I told him about William Lewis and he told me about when he had been in prison for what happened with Matt Casey. When I found out I was pregnant with the twins and we had discussed getting married, we knew one of us was going to have to relocate. I was still trying to finalize the adoption with Noah, so he knew he would be the one relocating, which he knows I appreciate. Anyway, when he had first inquired about where he'd be working, I specifically told him that his interrogation methods would not be tolerated here mainly because of you and I had already compared his interrogation methods to Elliot's. You and I were already starting to respect each other after years of not and honestly, I'd rather be on your good side."

"I wasn't sure I was gonna like Hank for that reason but I'd rather deal with him than with Stabler. Hank's a good cop."

"At least when Hank gives me his word, he means it."

"I've noticed that. Whenever I take time off, I've had no problems leavin' him in charge."

"I did some thinkin' last night because what the hell else was I gonna do in that damn cell? I think I'm gonna put my papers in."

"Honestly, I've been thinkin' about it too. I've been doin' this cop thing a long time and I would love to be able to spend time with my wife. I could find somethin' to keep me busy around the house."

"Same with me plus I have the activities for the kids and grandkids."

"Honey, I will support you with whatever you choose to do. You know that."

"Thanks, Babe."

"They should have one of us home with them."

"You could always retire too."

"I've been a cop for over 30 years, so I have the time in but our youngest is not quite 4 yet."

"Sometimes I wish I could quit working to stay home with Brianna and the baby and live off of what Jay makes but New York is expensive."

"Yeah, it is. I'm glad the entire family ended up here though."

"I need to get back. When are you comin' back to work?"

"Give me a couple days."

"Ok."

The kids had come out of the kitchen, so they said goodbye to Ed and then he left. Noah went back into the kitchen to help clean up.

"You done making cookies?"

"Yes."

Jazzy sat on Hank's lap and put her head on his shoulder, while the twins sat down and Brianna climbed up onto Erin's. Hank rubbed Jazzy's back. She fell right to sleep.

"So, Erin, when are you going back to work?"

"I'll probably go back tomorrow. How about you?"

"I'll go back Wednesday when your dad does."

"Ok."

"I haven't talk to anyone since we left the courthouse though."

The doorbell rang, so Olivia got up to answer it. It was Fin, Jack, Chief Garland and Barba.

"Hey, guys. Jack, thank you for dropping the charges."

"You're welcome."

"Thank you for everything you did too, Barba."

"No problem."

"Come on in."

"Thanks."

Everyone came in and went into the living room. Sarah and Ricky went up to their rooms.

"Lieutenant, Detective."

"Hey."

Then they sat down.

"Stabler hired Buchanan to be his lawyer."

"Oh, great!"

"He claims he was set up."

"How could he have been set up when there is proof that he did it? That includes him asking Detective Slootmaekers to hack into the traffic cameras and delete the footage."

"Exactly."

"Stabler has a problem with me anyway because I defended Richard Wheatley but the guy clearly has issues. He didn't understand how a so-called friend of Liv's could defend someone like him. Did I necessarily think Wheatley was innocent? No."

"He didn't get how I could be friends with Langan or with Tucker because of how he treated us for all those years. I told him that Langan helped me get my son and Ed and I learned to respect each other. They both used to be jerks but now, they're not as annoying as he is. Just the fact that he thought he could get away with trying to frame Hank for something he didn't do was low even for him."

"Exactly. Can I use you as witnesses?"

"Absolutely."

"I'm fine with that too."

"Feel free to use the footage from our doorbell camera."

"I appreciate that. I have his arraignment tomorrow morning."

"I have a feeling that Elliot will make his defense all about Hank again or he will claim he did what he did for me, which is a bunch of crap. Did he tell you about what he found on Hank?"

"No."

Hank and Olivia told Jack everything that happened with Hank in Chicago and with the Yates case.

"Thank you for telling me this."

"No problem. His biggest critic with the NYPD would have been Ed but they've gotten along since they first met. It just seems like Elliot is being a hypocrite. He can do the same thing and he's right for doing it but when someone else does it, he always has to call them out on it."

"That's definitely what it seems like."

"Fin, I think I will be back on Wednesday. Erin said she will probably be back tomorrow."

"I'm good with that. How long is Hubby gonna be off?"

"Until Wednesday. Tucker was already here and brought his badge and gun over."

"I need to remember to take it when we leave."

"That's fine with me too, Captain."

"Elliot is a flight risk."

"Yeah, I know that. I'm requesting remand. I'm not sure I'll get it but he has to surrender his passport."

"We will more than likely need a Restraining Order if he is released."

"We will take care of that. I understand your concern. He did just try framing your husband for murder."

"I doubt he will stop until he ruins my marriage."

"Hank, I didn't tell you what Noah said last night."

"What?"

"He said if I ever left you for Elliot, he was staying with you. I told him that I wasn't going to leave you for anyone. My family is my life. Elliot still wants to think he's the longest relationship I've had with a man but Fin now has that honor. He also said that you don't know me the way he does but I told him that you know more about me than he ever will. He still doesn't know about William Lewis and I told you about that from the very beginning because I didn't want to scare you off with my scars. I knew after that first case that I wanted more with you."

"The moment you threatened to arrest me, you had captured my heart. I fell in love with and married Camille after 6 months. I did the same with you."

"I have never fallen for anyone as quickly as I fell for you. My connection with you was stronger than it ever was with Elliot."

"How did you two meet?"

Erin and Olivia told Jack the story.

"Wow! Do you ever see your half-brother?"

"No. I tried having a relationship with him again after that but he's probably back to doing what he was doing. Our mother died a couple years ago and he never responded to my phone calls. She and I were never really that close. She met Brianna but I told her that if she wanted to have a relationship with her at all, she needed to stay clean because I didn't want to subject my daughter to that. She tried. She confessed that Hank was my biological dad and had accepted Liv in my life as well."

"Did she die of an overdose?"

"She did. She was still in Chicago at the time and even though she said she was trying to get clean, there was a syringe near her. Her prints were on it but Intelligence had gotten the call about it and there had been other overdoses that had happened the same way. The ME didn't think she did it to herself."

"That sounds a lot like what happened with my half-brother."

"Detective, you have how many half-siblings?"

"I have Teddy from my mom and Justin, Sarah and Ricky from Dad. Noah and Jazzy are adopted but I consider all of them my brothers and sisters. I was always closer to Justin than I was Teddy. I'm Auntie Erin to Justin's boys. I would be anyway. I moved in with Hank and his first wife when I was 15, so he was always more of a parent to me than Bunny was. I had often wondered if he was my real dad but then a part of me couldn't see him with Bunny even if it was a one night stand. I was close to Camille and was there when she passed. Liv and I hit it off from the moment we met. She's Mom to me now."

"Does your husband have a lot of family?"

"All he has left is his brother. He was in Chicago but now he's in Seattle. He gave up his job at Chicago Med and moved to Seattle to get back together with his ex, who moved out there to be closer to her mother. Like he told Jay, it's always been Natalie. He became pretty close to her son too. They're hoping to come out here by the time the baby comes but Jay and I may take a long weekend to go out there, so Brianna can see her Uncle Will."

"Olivia, you're close to your stepson?"

"I am. We've been close ever since we met and he chose to call me Mom on his own just like Erin did. I'm Grandma to their kids and I was there when their oldest son Daniel was born. He was born in May and Sarah and Ricky were born that September but he's a year ahead of them in school. They came up for their birth. We got married right after the Yates trial, so they came up for that. Her doctor allowed her to fly that distance."

"Did you have a big wedding?"

"Not really. Judge Linden did the ceremony with just the family and then we had a party afterward with both squads and our friends. After that we had spent a few days at a hotel in the Hamptons, while Lucy stayed with Noah. We went to Paris for our first anniversary."

"I'm sure that was quite a trip."

"It was. It made me fall in love with Hank even more than I already was. I had been held hostage a few months earlier and the guy wanted to deal with someone who had a lot of pull with the NYPD and cared about me. I wanted to call Hank but he had only been there less than a year, so I had called Ed. We had started getting along better somewhere after what had happened with William Lewis and when I adopted Noah. He was already a Captain by then and I knew he had taken the Hostage Negotiation courses. Erin had contacted Hank and he was there as well. They worked together to get us out safely."

"I do remember hearing about that."

They kept talking and then everyone who was leaving, left. Hank, Olivia, Erin, Lucy and the kids went out for lunch. Hank and Olivia invited the whole family over for dinner.

The next day was Elliot's arraignment. He pled not guilty and McCoy was unable to get remand but Elliot had to surrender his passport and he had to stay away from the entire Voight-Halstead family. He was also suspended without pay until the trial.

Buchanan was doing everything to prove Elliot's innocence and that included getting people from Chicago to testify at the trial about the type of person Hank was and that included Matt Casey, Edwin Stillwell from prison and Hank's former partner Denny Woods.

By the time the trial arrived, Hank's former squad from Chicago had come in, the family except the kids were there and Olivia's squad was there as well. Jack had started with his witnesses, including Hank and Olivia, Ed, Ayanna, Jet and others. Buchanan cross examined them and was particularly hard on them as he usually was. Most of his questioning went back to the charges against Hank but Jack objected to most of it. Elliot kept watching Olivia but she had gripped Hank's hand tighter, which was pissing Elliot off.

When it was the Defense's turn for witnesses. Matt, Stillwell and Woods all testified and then Elliot himself took the stand. The only one that didn't try to make Hank look bad was Matt. He admitted that while Hank was not one of his favorite people, they worked out their differences and they are civil every time the Voights and Halsteads come to Chicago. They always visit the Fire Station whenever they're in town. Elliot basically made it sound like Hank was dangerous and he had done what he did to protect Olivia. When it was Jack's turn to cross examine him, Elliot admitted that he wasn't sorry he did it and would do it again in a heartbeat. All he wanted was to get Hank out of the way. He confessed his love for Olivia on the stand and he knew she knew they belonged together. Once Elliot went back to his seat, he once again glanced at Olivia and smirked. Elliot then grabbed the Court Officer and started struggling with him as he grabbed his gun. He pointed it at Hank and pulled the trigger. Olivia pulled Hank down as Barba got Erin and Olive out of the room and Jay, Ed, Ayanna and Olivia's squad all had their guns pulled. Hank had gotten hit in the shoulder and Olivia was injured as well. Denny Woods had been fatally shot, while Jay shot and critically injured Elliot.

"Liv, you ok?"

"I got hit in the elbow. Hank, you ok?"

She got no answer.

"Honey? He better not be dead!"

Sylvie had been there with Matt, so she came over to check his pulse.

"He has a pulse."

Sylvie got something to put pressure on Hank's shoulder.

"GET A DAMN BUS IN HERE NOW!"

"Hank Honey, can you hear me?"

The ambulances arrived and took Hank and Olivia to Mercy. Elliot was placed under arrest and was taken to the hospital as well. The family, Olivia's squad Ed and the group from Chicago headed to the hospital as well. Olivia was not handling things very well.

"Hank, please don't die on me. We love you and need you so much."

They arrived at Mercy and then Hank was taken directly to xray and Olivia had her arm cleaned up. As soon as Justin and everyone else arrived, Justin and Erin went to find Olivia. He wrapped his arms around her and she broke down.

"I can't lose him, Justin. I just can't."

"We can't either. Where is he now?"

"They took him straight to xray."

"Damn!"

Someone came in to tell them Hank needed to get to the OR, so Olivia authorized it and then he was taken into surgery.

"Erin."

"Yeah."

"I want to talk to Jay."

"Ok."

Erin went to go find Jay but he was talking to Captain Graham. She went back to where Olivia was.

"He was talking to Captain Graham."

"Ok."

Once Captain Graham was done talking to the people in the waiting room, he was allowed in to talk to Olivia. Erin and Justin left but he told them he needed to talk to them as well. Erin and Justin went to the waiting room and gave everyone an update.

"How's Hank?"

"He's in surgery."

"How are you?"

"Honestly, not good."

"I've gotten a pretty good idea as to what happened but I need to hear it from you."

Olivia told Captain Graham everything that had happened. She also told him that she wanted Stabler charged. Captain Graham left and went to talk to Erin, while Jay came in.

"Hey."

"Hey. Thanks."

"You and Hank are my family. I'm not sorry I did it. The guy is a psycho."

"He is. He never used to be but he turned on me when he found out I was married."

"You don't need someone like him in your life."

"I can't forgive him for leaving me for 10 years and then treating me the way he has since he's been back. He knew I had abandonment issues yet he still left."

Then Ed came in.

"How's Hank?"

"He's in surgery."

"Oh, wow!"

"Am I a bad person for not feeling any remorse for what I did? That son of a bitch shot my father-in-law. I'm not gonna let my kids grow up without having their only grandpa around."

Olivia could tell Jay was at his breaking point. Jay started balling up his fist and ended up punching the glass cabinet. Ed and Olivia had to turn their heads away from the shattering glass. The staff came running in.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It happens more than you think. Let's take you in the other room and have a look. We'll move you into another room, so maintenance can clean up this mess."

"Thanks."

They took Jay into another room and moved Olivia, while Ed went to get Erin. Once Ed got Erin, he went back to Olivia's room.

"Jay and Hank have gotten closer since his dad's death."

"I see where he's comin' from and I don't think it makes him a bad person for not feelin' any remorse for what he did. Sure, I've been at the other end of one of these investigations but in my opinion Stabler deserved it. Maybe I am a bit biased because I don't like the guy. Stabler's only plan has been to get Hank out of the way with no consideration for your feelings. If I had been the one to shoot Stabler, I wouldn't feel any remorse for it."

"I don't think I would have either but I respect his kids. No doubt Elliot will go after Jay or somehow continue to torment Hank. All this is is because he's jealous."

"I still don't completely buy the fact that that Wheatley guy acted alone in Kathy's murder. Stabler had plenty of motive to want her out of the way but he's playin' it as the grievin' widower to get sympathy from you and make a play for you. You turn him down because you're with Hank, so then he will do anything to get Hank out of the way."

"I could see that happening. I knew his entire defense at the trial was going to be to bring Hank down and make himself look good."

"He has too many charges against him to get off on anything. The Judge and jury basically saw him throw a temper tantrum in court. The NYPD will not tolerate that kind of behavior. They'll probably take his badge for good."

Then Fin came in.

"You doin' ok, Liv?"

"I've been better."

"How's Voight?"

"He's in surgery."

"Stabler is an ass for doin' what he did. What was he thinkin'?"

"I don't think he was."

"I don't need any of this."

"No, you don't."

"Now Jay punched the glass cabinet in the other room I was in. He's pissed and he's frustrated. Honestly, I'm pissed too. I will never forgive Elliot Stabler for any of this."

"That's your right. I'm pissed too. Like I have said, if it was up to me, he wouldn't have come back to the NYPD."

"He never should have been allowed to come back in the first place."

"No arguments from me on that one."

"He's done nothing but tried to ruin my marriage since he's been back in my life. I know Hank mentioned that he's talking about retiring but this could make him do it sooner."

"That's understandable. He'll probably be off for a while anyway."

"I don't want him going back to work too soon."

"You know me, I'll make sure he doesn't come back too soon but I'll support him if he decides he wants to retire sooner."

"Liv, you takin' time off?"

"I probably will but I haven't decided how long yet. I'm not leaving this hospital until I know he's ok."

Justin came back in.

"Mom, are you plannin' to take time off?"

"Other than what I need to do for my arm, probably."

"We'll do what we can too."

"So will Patty and I."

"Us too, Liv."

"Thanks. I really appreciate that."

"I already called my boss and said I need to take a few days."

"Ok."

Ed and Fin left to go back to the waiting room and then Christian came in. She told him what was going on and he said if they needed anything else, he and Lamai would be there for them. She thanked him, he left and then Amanda, Kat and Velasco came in, so she told them what was going on. Erin stuck her head in as Olivia was rubbing Amanda's belly.

"How's Jay?"

"He'll be fine. They're stitching him up right now."

"Good."

"He'll be ok, Liv."

"What if he's not? I am so afraid of losing him."

The 3 of them hugged Olivia and then they left. Erin came in and joined Justin. The doctor came in to check on Olivia again and then she was released. Jay was released as well. The family and the group from Chicago went to the surgical waiting room.

"Voight's gonna be ok, right?"

"Let's hope so."

"Am I the only one that hopes that son of a bitch that shot him dies?"

"No, Ruzek, you're not."

"I would have done the same thing Halstead did."

"Any of us would have."

"At least Denny Woods is dead."

"That's always a good thing."

"Olivia, Meredith sends her love."

"Tell her thank you, Al."

"I will."

"I talked to Boden and he said he hopes everything goes well."

"Thanks, Matt. I'm sorry they put you through all this?"

"We've worked out our differences and to a certain extent, I understand why he did what he did. When Gabby and I were fostering Louie, I knew there was nothing I wouldn't do for that kid. It was hard when we had to give him back to his dad but then that's when our marriage started falling apart."

"Gabby has always had a mind of her own. She should have talked to you about your options. This affected both of you and not just her."

"We're still civil and she knows about Sylvie and me. She's fine with it. By the way Justin, you turned out ok."

"Thanks. I regret what I did and because of my stupidity, that kid is paralyzed. Bein' a dad got me to grow up a lot. I just wanna be the best dad I can be to my boys."

"Hank knows that he wasn't the best dad to you and thanks to Bunny, he missed out on Erin's childhood. He has told me many times that he wants to be the dad he should have been to you and Erin to Noah, Sarah, Ricky and Jazzy."

"He's an amazing grandpa though. The boys love their papa so much."

"So does Brianna. Her two favorite people are me and Papa."

"He loves the boys too, don't get me wrong but I think he has a soft spot for his granddaughter."

"I was hopin' for a daughter this time."

"You going to keep trying for one?"

"I don't know if I want anymore."

"There's still a chance they're wrong, right?"

"The latest ultrasound was pretty clear."

"I wanted another daughter."

"At least you have a daughter. I'm the only one in the family who doesn't have one because Justin apparently only knows how to make boys."

"You can borrow Brianna whenever you want to."

"The same with Sarah and Jazzy."

"Any names picked out?"

"Jay and I are naming ours Patrick Henry after both grandpas."

"Justin wants to name ours Henry Richard II."

"You don't?"

"I don't know. I did pick the names for the other 3, so I guess it is his turn."

"Is there anyone who isn't like Voight?"

"That would be Sarah. She's has more my personality and she does not hesitate to put her twin brother in his place, much like I did with her father when we first met. At least when I put Hank in his place, he respects me for it. When I try to do that with Elliot, he thinks it's a big joke and still does whatever the hell he wants."

"You've always been one of the few people who can put Voight in his place and get away with it."

"Is Sarah older?"

"She is but not by much. They were delivered by C-section."

"You haven't been to Chicago in a while."

"That's right. We haven't."

Olivia pulled out her phone and showed Matt and Sylvie a recent picture of the kids, which was taken on the cruise.

"Wow! Noah has grown up so much."

"He has."

"The twins have really grown up too."

"I know they have. I can't believe they'll be 8 soon."

"Jasmine is adorable."

"She is and she knows it. She has been such a joy to have in our lives."

"Brianna looks like a little Erin."

"She has her daddy's blue eyes though.

"Those three definitely look like their grandpa."

"Yep."

"This is taking so long."

"No news is good news as far as I'm concerned."

"I hope so."

They continued talking as they waited. A little bit later, the surgeon came in.

"Mrs. Voight."

"Yes."

"He's doing fine. There was no damage to any of the major vessels. He will need some time to recover though."

"I don't doubt it. Can I see him?"

"Of course."

Olivia went with the doctor to where Hank was. She kissed his forehead, sat down and took his hand. She laced her fingers through his and then she kissed his hand.

"I love you so much and I am so glad you're going to be ok. I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you. You're my entire life."

Olivia ended up falling asleep for a little while. Trevor had come in to the waiting room.

"Is everything ok?"

"Dad just got out of surgery. He was hit in the left shoulder and Mom was hit in the left elbow but didn't require surgery."

"This was all Stabler?"

"Yep."

"I was in Family Court and we heard all the commotion. They locked the door to the room we were in."

"Besides shooting Dad and injuring Mom, he also shot and killed one of the Defense's witnesses, who was a former partner of Dad's. Honestly, that's no big loss. Jay shot Stabler in the chest/stomach area and he's not sorry he did."

"Stabler has always been a piece of work in my opinion. He comes back into her life after 10 years and after losing his wife, he confesses his love for her and just expects her to leave her husband for him. How long was Hank widowed before he and Olivia got together?"

"4½ years. He at one point said he didn't want to be put through that again but once they met, all that changed for him."

"I know he loved my mom more than anything but he's not the only one who fell in love with Olivia from the start. It made missing my mom a lot less painful but there are times I feel guilty for loving her as much as I do."

"Camille wanted both of you to move on. She still lives on in you and your boys."

"I know. I've told them about her and we've been to the cemetery to her grave. Every time we're in Chicago, they ask if we can visit Grandma Camille."

"At least you have good memories of your mother. I do think Bunny was really trying to clean up her life for Brianna though."

"Justin, how'd your mom die?"

"She had ovarian cancer. I get scared that I could lose Dad and Olivia because of their jobs."

"As someone who has been on both sides of the courtroom, I think the jury saw Stabler for who he really is today. He and Buchanan made the entire Defense about how wonderful he is and how horrible he thinks Hank is. Liv is completely capable of making her own decisions. It's quite obvious how much she loves Hank. I think he will be seeing jail time not only for what he did today but for framing Hank for murdering that guy when he was actually the one that did it."

"He must have been that desperate to get Hank out of the way."

"He was."

"He basically did the same thing Johnny D did."

"Exactly."

Everyone kept talking and then some of them left after a while. In Hank's room, Hank was starting to wake up.

"Olivia?"

"Huh?"

Olivia woke up and saw that Hank's eyes were open.

"Love you."

"I love you too."

Olivia kissed Hank and then the nurse came in to check on him.

"We will be moving him to a room soon."

"Ok."

Hank was falling asleep again, so Olivia let him get his rest. She went to tell everyone else that Hank was awake and would be moved to another room soon. The non-family people who were still there, left. Hank was moved and then they went to dinner in shifts. Jay took Erin and Olive home, while Olivia and Justin stayed with Hank at the hospital. Erin told her younger siblings what was going on the best she could, while Olive did the same with the boys.

At the other hospital where Elliot had been taken, the surgeons did what they could but they lost him on the operating table. Jack had been notified and so was Internal Affairs. Captain Graham contacted Jay and asked him to come to IAB first thing in the morning. He said he'd be there and he knew what it was about. The next morning, Jay got up and got ready before leaving for IAB, while Erin got up and also made sure the kids were up before Lucy got there. When she got there, they were having breakfast. Erin left and headed to the hospital. When she got there, the rest of the squad and Ed were arriving as well.

"Hey."

"Hey, Erin. How's Jay?"

"It's hard to say. He had to go to IAB this morning."

"Didn't he talk to Captain Graham yesterday?"

"Yeah but if the situation changes, they'd have to talk to him again. That either means Stabler died and the family could be goin' after Halstead or Stabler is goin' after him."

They all went in and went up to Hank's room. Erin hugged all 3 of them.

"Hey."

"Hey. Jack called."

"He did?"

"Yeah. Elliot died on the operating table."

"That explains why Jay had to go to IAB this morning."

"How are his kids?"

"He didn't get into that."

"How are you handing this?"

"I had this horrible dream last night that he wasn't done with Hank. I can't imagine my life without Hank and I almost lost him twice because of Elliot. I'm relieved that he won't be able to harass us anymore but at the same time I'm still scared that something will happen. I called and requested some Patrol Officers to sit outside his door. We can't be here all the time."

"That's true. I was gettin' texts from everyone last night wantin' to know how you were, so I figured I better stop before I went in."

"Some of them called."

"We wanted to see how you were too."

"Good. Erin, are you going in?"

"No. I think I need to be with my family right now."

"How were the kids?"

"They're good. I told Noah I would call him and we'd video chat, so they could all talk to you."

"I was thinking about doing that anyway."

"The only one who didn't really understand what was going on was Jazzy but I explained it the best way I could."

"I may leave for a while and spend some time with them."

"Ok."

"We were takin' and I decided that I'm gonna retire effective immediately. Even though I'd be off of work, I just think I need to be with the kids right now."

"Liv mentioned yesterday that you may retire sooner and honestly, that's understandable. I'm still plannin' to work until the end of the year, which gives them plenty of time to find someone to take over HNT. I'll go to 1PP and get the paperwork for both of us."

"Ok, thanks."

"Jay was talkin' last night that he may take the Sergeant's exam just for the heck of it."

"That's always a good idea."

SVU and Ed all left and headed to their respective Precincts. Erin stayed with Hank, while Olivia and Justin left to grab breakfast and go home for a while. Erin contacted Noah, so the kids could talk to Hank. By the time they were done talking to Hank, Olivia and Justin were at Erin and Jay's.

Captain Graham showed up at the hospital with Jay and the Stabler kids. When Jay saw Erin, he kissed her and hugged Hank.

"Lieutenant, have you met the Stabler kids?"

"Richard and Kathleen I've met."

"I'm Maureen, the oldest."

"I'm Elizabeth, Richard's twin."

"And I'm Eli, the youngest."

"We wanted to apologize for everything our dad put you through. He hasn't been in the right frame of mind since our mom's death."

"I get that because I was a mess when my first wife died from ovarian cancer but I didn't tell someone else's wife that I loved them right after I buried her either."

"That wasn't one of the smarter things he's done either. When I asked Olivia for help trying to get through to him, she told me at that time she was married. I shared that information with my siblings, so we were all aware of it. Dad only heard what he wanted to hear. He seemed to become more obsessed with her after that. It's like he thought she could only be happy with him but you would think he'd just be happy that she found someone. Apparently not."

"I don't blame you for any of this but Olivia did say that she didn't think she'd be able to forgive him for what he did. What made him think Olivia would run to him if I was out of the picture? She has told me on many occasions that if something happens to me, she's done with relationships even though I have told her I'd want her to be happy. She just doesn't want to put the kids through that."

"We know she wasn't sure she completely forgave him for ceasing contact with her for 10 years and that's her right. We're not sure what Dad was thinking. The whole Defense was making you look bad. You never did anything. We were anticipating him ending up going to prison. The person he's been the last couple years wasn't our dad."

"Olivia says the same thing."

Olivia and Justin came back and Olivia kissed Hank.

"You're all here."

"We are."

Olivia hugged all the Stabler kids. They all talked for a while and then the Stablers left.

Mostly everyone from Chicago stayed in New York until the weekend. Hank's recovery had gone well, so he was able to go home early the following week. They temporarily stayed with Erin and Jay but the kids were happy to have Hank home. Olivia took some time off to recover from her injury and to take care of Hank. Lucy was around as well.

A few weeks later, Amanda gave birth to Aria Nicole and Jesse and Billie were excited about their new sister. Hank had put his papers in to retire effective immediately and Ed put his in to retire at the end of the year, so there was plenty of time to find someone to take over HNT. Noah, Sarah, Ricky and Jazzy were looking forward to having Hank around more often. Al had decided to put his papers in as well and he and Meredith had discussed moving to New York to be closer to Hank and Olivia. Jay took the Sergeant's exam just to take it and did quite well on it. Erin, Jay and Brianna went to Seattle for a long weekend.

As the kids got back into their school routines, the Voights and Halsteads prepared for Erin and Olive to give birth. Justin and Jay worked on the nurseries. The family celebrated Sarah and Ricky's birthday and Jasmine's birthday a few weeks later.

Things were slowly getting back to normal for them after everything they had been through since returning from their cruise. Erin and Olive gave birth to Patrick Henry and Henry Richard II, respectively, not too long before Thanksgiving. Will, Natalie and Owen came to New York for Thanksgiving, so they could meet Patrick. They all had a lot to be thankful for this year and the things they were the most thankful for was each other.

As always, reviews are appreciated.