Hey, guys! This is my first Chicago PD story. I had this idea that wouldn't leave me alone since I watched the finale, and when I started writing it turned into a 4-chapter story. It focuses on Jay and his attempts to help Erin,although I'd love to see Jay and Voight working together on this in s3. Voight is too difficult for me to write, though, but he does make an appearance or two. I hope I managed to write everyone in character and I hope you'll like it!

It was one of those mornings when each member of the Intelligence Unit seemed to be unable to focus on work. Adam was still blissfully distracted by the events of the previous night, which had ended with a ring on Kim's finger. They had decided to keep the engagement quiet for a couple of days, taking their time to process it before telling their colleagues. Adding the fact that Kim was back on patrol and focusing on work was almost impossible for Adam. Alvin was overwhelmed by the news that he had a long-lost daughter and he was absentmindedly staring at his coffee mug. Antonio was excited about the finalization of the boxing gym deal. Kevin was so happy to be back upstairs that he couldn't stop fidgeting in his seat. And Jay…Jay was preoccupied thinking about Erin and her absence from the desk across from him.

His mind wandered back to the previous day. He was still trying to comprehend the scene he had witnessed in her apartment, her tending to a guy who had obviously been with her when she was ambushed by the corrupt cops. He had been so worried about her safety, but now that he knew she hadn't been harmed, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous and he knew he had a reason to be judging by the guilty look in Erin's eyes.

However, he found himself feeling more worried than jealous. He had seen the pain in her eyes when he had tried to reach out to her at the district and it was killing him to know that she was suffering and not letting him in. He couldn't judge her and be mad at her for whatever happened with that guy, not until he knew the whole story. And not when he knew how broken she was and how she was doing everything in her power to push the pain away, shut the world out and forget everything that was going on. That was how Erin handled difficult situations – by avoiding them altogether. It was what the world she grew up in taught her – being vulnerable and dealing with pain meant being weak. And it was what made him so worried – given her past, he was afraid she could go down the wrong path in an attempt to handle it all.

Jay, along with everyone else, snapped back to reality when he saw Voight coming up the stairs. He seemed tense and worried and the fact that he was running a few minutes late suggested that there was something serious going on. Hank Voight was many things, but late was never one of them and everyone at the 21st District knew that.
Hank stopped in front of Erin's desk and stared at it for a few seconds before turning to face the unit. "Erin quit."

A collective "what?" echoed through the bullpen, shock and concern visible on each face.

"She's a real mess." – It was all he managed to say, not knowing how to explain the situation to his unit because he himself was still trying to figure it out. "We don't have a case right now, so everybody find a way to be useful and fill out some paperwork. If nothing comes up we can leave early today. "

The tone of the sergeant's voice, somehow quieter and gentler than usual made the situation that much more real and worrying for the team. He nodded at them and headed to his office.

Jay, who was almost in a trance, got up immediately to follow. He felt dizzy with the new information, which, combined with his earlier thoughts about Erin, overwhelmed him and for a moment he wasn't sure if he would be able to walk to Voight's office without stumbling. Somehow he managed to get his bearings and followed his boss through the door, closing it so that they could talk in private.

"Sarge, what the hell happened?" – The words flew from Jay's mouth, harsh and dripping with worry he couldn't possibly contain.

Hank sighed loudly and sat down in his chair, motioning for Jay to sit across from him.

"I saw her in Bunny's bar. Said she's bad news and that the people she cares about get hurt because of her. Then she handed me this." – He took out Erin's badge from his pocket and put it on the desk.

Jay shook his head, briefly closing his eyes to prevent tears from forming. He knew Erin was blaming herself for Nadia's death and he had tried to assure her that none of it was her fault. But she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and his heart broke at the thought of her being so hard on herself.

"Bunny's taking advantage of the situation. I tried to get Erin out of there, but she didn't listen to a word I said. She's closing herself off, Jay. "

Jay, who had been staring at his partner's badge, looked up at the mention of his first name, a rare thing coming from Voight. He knew his boss was the father figure in Erin's life but up until now, that had partly made him angry because Voight didn't approve of them being together and he never understood why. But looking at him now, Jay didn't see his boss who had ordered him to 'keep it in his pants'. He saw a father, a concerned man who loved Erin and was willing to fight for her as much as Jay himself was.

"I'll go over there right now." – Jay went to stand up, but was stopped by Hank's rough, urgent voice.

"Halstead. Give her a few hours and go after shift. If you go now we'll overwhelm her and it'll do more harm than good."

As much as Jay wanted to go to Erin right away, he knew Voight was right. They would achieve nothing by pushing her.

"Try the bar tonight and if she's not there, call me. I'm worried about her, Jay."

"Me too, Sarge. She hasn't really talked to me in a while, either."

"Well, we'll just have to find a way to get through to her."

Hank returned Jay's nod and watched him leave the office, sighing again. It was the first time that he and Jay were on the same page concerning Erin. He had warned them time and again that romance was off the table while they were both working in his unit, but deep down he had known for a while that Jay was the only other person, besides himself, who cared so much about Erin. After the encounter at the bar earlier this morning, he knew he needed to tell Jay what was going on and allow him to help.

Of course, Hank wasn't ever going to give up on Erin, but their long history was making it harder for him to get his point across. Even though Erin was 30 years old, on some level he still thought of her as the teenage girl he once took in and she still saw him as the man who saved her. And Bunny certainly wasn't helping the situation, taking advantage of her daughter's vulnerable state in order to come between them and regain control over Erin's life.

The fact that Jay was not a part of that whole story made Hank hope that the young detective would at least be more successful in talking to Erin. He knew she had a long way to recovery but she needed guidance and support to take that first step and if Jay Halstead was able to give her that and actually get through to her, for once Hank was willing to let him.

-

As predicted, the day had been uneventful but stressful for the whole unit and everyone was relieved that they got to leave work early. Throwing one last glance at Voight, Jay nodded at him, wordlessly promising to call him with an update on Erin. Then he hurried down to his car and it took him all he had not to drive over the speed limit on the way to Bunny's bar. So many thoughts swirled in his head and he had a hard time focusing on the road while wondering what state he would find Erin in, if she was even still there.

He had been unable to clear his head the entire day and had basically been useless to the team, having barely filled out any paperwork, but he couldn't care less about that now. The conversation with Voight was stuck in his head. Hank admitting that he needed his help didn't surprise him like he thought it would have. It just made him that much more worried about Erin, because he knew if Hank allowed him to help it meant he didn't have a clear plan, and he always had one.
At this moment, it didn't matter what Hank thought about Jay's relationship with Erin, because she needed support from both of them, in different ways.

Without even realizing it, Jay had ended up in front of Bunny's bar. Taking a deep breath, he quickly parked and locked his car and went inside. The first thing he noticed was Bunny herself, serving beer and cheerfully chatting with customers. He gritted his teeth at the sight of her. He didn't know her but then again, he didn't want to – he had heard and he had recently seen enough to know she wasn't someone Erin needed in her life, ever.

Trying to control the sudden anger that coursed through his veins, he looked around hoping to see Erin. He almost did a double-take, however, when he noticed the slumped figure sitting alone at one of the tables, empty shot glasses scattered around her. Although he couldn't see her face because her head was resting on her folded arms on top of the table, it was undoubtedly Erin. What scared him was the fact that she didn't seem to be moving. Jay hurried over to her, feeling his pulse throbbing in his ears.

"Erin?" – As the words left his lips, he couldn't recognize his own voice, higher in pitch and cracking with emotion. To his mild relief, she reacted, proving that she was conscious. Her head lifted from her arms, that simple movement seeming to cost her so much energy and effort. One look into her dazed, glassy eyes and Jay realized she was drunk out of her mind.

"Jay? What… are you doing here?" – Her speech was slurred but at least she recognized him. He wasn't sure if alcohol was all she had in her system.

"I'm taking you home. Come on." – Somehow managing to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat, Jay used the softest tone of his voice while reaching out and gently grabbing her forearm. Before he could help her stand up, however, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and then Bunny appeared in front of him, trying to stand between him and Erin.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Jay shut his eyes for a second, breathing deeply and desperately trying to keep his cool.

"I'm taking your daughter home."

"No, Jay…" – Erin tried to object, but Jay ignored her and focused on Bunny, who apparently wasn't done talking.

"You heard her. She's not going anywhere with you, detective. She quit, remember?"

Jay was sure smoke must be coming out of his ears. Bunny was really pushing his buttons and his patience was minimal. He just wanted to get Erin out of there.

"And I'm sure that's just what you want. She may have quit, but she is still my partner. So do yourself a favor and step aside right now. "

"I'm going to call the police."

Jay couldn't help but laugh, lifting up his shirt to show the badge clipped to his belt.

"Yeah, why don't you give that a try? But first, step aside. Erin needs to get some sleep and she sure as hell won't do it on this table." – His voice was deep and dripping with hatred. He wasn't going to let Bunny keep him from helping Erin, even if it meant moving her himself.

There was no need for that, however, because she stepped out of his way reluctantly, clearly taken aback by his outburst. Jay's demeanor changed instantly as he was once again met with Erin's confused eyes.

"Hey. My car's right outside. Let's go."

"No, Jay… leave me alone." – She tried to fight him but she was too out of it to actually get her way.

"Erin, you can't fight me on this. Please just come with me."

Jay was too emotionally drained to argue with her properly, and he knew it was pointless anyway – she was too drunk to be her usual tough self. If she had been sober, she could have put up a fight, but this was not the case. Hearing her sigh, he knew he had managed to convince her and the tiniest bit of relief flowed through him.

"Want me to carry you to the car?"

"No, no. I can walk. I'm good." – Jay's heart clenched again at the sound of her slurred speech. She was anything but 'good' but he decided to try and help her walk, knowing it could maybe sober her up a bit.

"Okay. Come on, here we go."

Taking hold of her hands, he helped her stand and once she was on her feet, he quickly sneaked one of his arms behind her back while keeping a firm grip on her forearm with the other. They managed to exit the bar but as soon as they did, Erin hastily removed herself from Jay's hold and fell to her knees, vomiting on the ground.

"Er." - Jay whispered affectionately and knelt down beside her, one hand gathering her hair away from her face while the other gently rubbed circles on her back. He felt helpless as she emptied the contents of her stomach, and he silently cursed himself for not noticing the state she was in sooner.

The sound of footsteps behind them made him whip his head around, only to wish he hadn't. Bunny was there again, holding a wet washcloth in her hand. She kneeled on the other side of Erin, holding the material out in front of her.

"Here, honey. Clean yourself up."

That was when Jay had finally had enough. While still keeping a protective arm around Erin, he reached in front of her and snatched the washcloth from Bunny's hand.

"Get the hell away from her."

He then helped Erin back to her feet and slowly guided her to the car, sitting her down in the passenger seat and securing her with the seatbelt. He tenderly wiped her face with the wet cloth, making her look up at him. Although her eyes were still dazed, they were now filled with the desperation and pain she'd tried so hard to hide from everyone, including herself.

"I just need a sec and then I'm taking you home, okay?"

Seeing her nod, he gently kissed her forehead and then moved away, closing the door on her side of the car. Turning back, he saw Bunny still standing in the bar's doorway.

"I'm only going to say this once. If I ever see you anywhere near Erin again, or if I find out you've tried to contact her, you'll have to answer to me."

"You can't stop me from seeing her."

"Try me. I promise it won't end well for you."– He took a deep breath, pausing for a second. - "Her whole life she's thought she's bad news because she was born into it. Because of how you treated her when all she ever wanted from you was to be her mother. But instead, you ruined her childhood and damaged her. So you don't get to come into the picture now and say that she needs family. Taking advantage of her vulnerability so that you can stick it to Hank Voight, instead of helping her get through this, is not what family does. "

Jay paused again, swallowing hard and feeling tears well in his eyes.

"Erin got a chance to start over, to make something of herself and she did it. I'm not about to let you take that away from her. You are not her family, and you never deserved to be." – With that, he turned around, got into his car and without looking back, drove off.

Well, this is the first chapter. I know that on the show, s3 probably won't pick up the day s2 left off, but I really wanted to include Jay and Voight's reaction to Erin quitting. Since this is my first attempt at writing about Chicago PD, I wasn't able to focus on the other members of the Unit, but maybe in the future if I feel inspired :)
Reviews are appreciated! If you have advice or critique for me, don't hesitate to share it so that I can take notes and try to improve my writing :)