Author's Note:

Welcome to a new story! This is my first Chicago: PD story. If you've read any of my previous stories, you'll know I've stuck to Criminal Minds or Sons of Anarchy stories. I've recently become addicted to the show.

So this is my perception of what happens after Laura leaves Antonio. It will be AU but still have certain aspects of Season 2 in it. If you are a die-hard Antonio + Laura fan, heads up, this story isn't that kind of story. You may not like where it's going to go. I do appreciate all reviews and I read and try to reply to each one.

I'm dedicating this story to my own personal Dominican hero, my husband. Te amo!

I don't own any of these characters except my OCs. The characters belong to Dick Wolf.

Enjoy! Love always Nicole! 3

Prologue:

Antonio read the note he'd found again. He couldn't believe it. They'd been together for almost twenty years. In his 36 years, he'd felt a lot of heartache and betrayal but never like this. He never though Laura would just up and leave, taking their two children with her. She had always said she'd support him. From the time he served with the Marines to joining to CPD, she'd stood by him. It wasn't like he was purposely trying to be shot at. That was a risk of being a cop. He may not have always been there for his children, but if he wasn't working undercover, he had been there. He put the letter down and buried his face in his hands. He felt a tear run down his cheek. He was debating calling Laura to plead his case, calling Gaby to get her perspective or just getting plastered.

He settled on calling his sister and pouring himself a scotch. While he was waiting for Gaby to show up, Jay Halstead called.

"Hey Antonio."

"Halstead."

"You okay? You seemed in a rush to get out of here."

"Jay now is not the time." His tone similar to the tone he used on the job with his CIs.

"Antonio, come on. This is me you're talking to. I know that tone."

Antonio sighed. "Laura took off to her sister's with the kids."

The dead air on the phone line spoke volumes. Jay finally spoke up. "I'm sorry. Man, I didn't think it was that bad."

"To be honest, neither did I." Antonio took a sip of the scotch. The smooth liquor burned his throat. "I thought we were too, but obviously I'm a blind fool."

"Don't beat yourself up man. It's not gonna help. Do you want it to work?" Jay knew that the strain on Antonio's marriage wasn't being helped by the job of working in Intelligence.

Antonio wasn't sure anymore. Being shot while working Vice before the promotion to Intelligence to Diego being kidnapped by Pulpo, getting shot again during Pulpo's escape, going back to Intelligence had ultimately been the last straw for Laura. He'd lost count of how many fights they'd had since he'd come home from the hospital. They'd gotten even worse since he'd decided to go back to Intelligence.

"Antonio, yo buddy. You still there?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking of an answer. I honestly don't know anymore."

Just then the doorbell rang. "Look, Jay, Gaby's here. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone and finished his scotch while on the way to open the door.

Halstead's apartment:

"Jay? Everything okay?"

"Yeah Jes. A friend of mine is just in bad place."

She handed him the beer she'd been holding while he was on the phone. "Sounds like a good friend." She kissed his cheek.

Jay gave her his signature goofy smile. "Ya, he's the reason I got in Intelligence and he's like a brother to me."

"Maybe I should thank him."

She wasn't going to find out he had had to be shot on duty first. "Maybe. Right now I wanna know why you're back in Chicago." He ruffled her hair.

"What does it matter? I thought you'd be happy to see your best friend?"

"Usually, but that's what holidays are for. I thought you were finishing your program up north first."

"I kind of decided that a Master's in Education wasn't going to serve me any good in what I really want to do."

"And what exactly is it that you really want to do? I thought you wanted to climb the ladder of teaching."

Jes shook her head. "No way. You'll tell me I'm nuts."

"Jes, you're my best friend. I only want you to be happy."

"You say that now Jay Halstead." She laughed. "After working with some inner city schools, I realized these kids need somewhere safe to go to learn basic life skills or just be off the streets."

Jay was taken back. He remembered how Jes had first come into his life and changed it forever.

Flashback to Jay's Junior Year of High School… (Approx. 11 years)

"Hey that's mine!" A shrill voice came from down the hallway.

Jay turned from his locker. The voice was definitely a girl's voice. He slammed his locker shut and ran towards the voice. When he got there he saw a new girl struggling with the Captain of the Cheer squad.

"Look I'm sorry if I asked him for directions." She was in tears. "I didn't know that that was a crime."

The Cheer Captain wasn't budging. She reached back, made a fist and was ready to punch the new girl. Jay jumped into action. He grabbed the Cheer Captain's arm and yanked her back. "Hey."

"Back off, jackass!" The Cheer Captain swung her other arm to hit him. He grabbed her other arm and flipped her over his shoulders. She landed with a thud, the wind clearly knocked out of her. The hallway went completely silent.

"What is going on here?!" Jay turned to see the Principal gawking at the scene. "Those of you involved… get to class. Now!" She then turned to the face the new girl, Jay and the Cheer Captain.

2 hours later…

Jay walked out of the office, head down. He was in so much trouble. He had just been handed a two-week suspension. On the bright side, so had the Cheer Bitch. She had also lost her squad. The new girl had gotten off scot free, and for that he was thankful.

He headed for his locker when someone touched his arm. He spun around and came face-to-face with the new girl.

"I wanted to thank you." She extended her hand. "My name's Jeslyn Bellamy."

"Jay Halstead." He shook her hand.

"Thanks Jay. Um, I didn't mean for you to get into that much trouble."

"It's not the first time. Don't worry about me. One more year and I'm outta here." He looked at her. "You're new here. Where you from?"

"Ottawa."

"Canada? Why you here?"

"My parents are split up and my mom moved me here because her newest sugar daddy lives here."

Jay had reached his locker. "I'm sorry. What about you dad?"

The look in her eyes told Jay that that was the wrong question to ask. "I'm sorry. It's not my business."

She shook her head. "It's fine. You're the first person who's been nice to me since I moved here. My dad is in the Canadian Special Forces. He got deployed, so my mom played dirty and used that to get sole custody. Now I'm stuck here. I've got no one here and because my dad's work is classified, I can't do anything."

"That sucks. Just curious, what grade you in?"

"Ten."

"You look younger than 16."

"You'd be right. I am. I'm 14."

"Shouldn't you still be in Junior High?" Jay gave her a goofy grin.

She smiled. "I jumped ahead a couple years. What about you?"

"I'm almost 18. I should be graduating this year, but things change." He closed his locker. "Look, I might be suspended but I want you to call me if you ever need to talk." He wrote his number on her hand. "I mean it."

She smiled and promised he world.

For the remainder of the school year, Jay was by her side. No one bothered her and she helped him stay out of trouble.

Time went on and the next school year started. Sadly Jes's world would shatter. Her mom and new step-dad were killed by a drunk driver on New Year's Eve. Her dad couldn't provide her with a stable living situation because of his work. She would've become a ward of the state. Jay didn't want that for her, so he convinced his mom to take her in while her dad was still deployed over seas. Jay did graduate that year and he quickly enlisted with the Rangers.

"Jay?"

He snapped back to reality. "Sorry."

"Where'd ya go?"

"The day we first met."

"Seriously? Of all our memories?" Jes snickered.

Jay nodded. "You were a brat then and you're still a brat now."

She punched his arm. "Am not. I'm exhausted. Where's the spare room?"

"I don't have one remember? I've changed apartments since you were last down here."

"Drat." She looked around. "Well, I guess I'm roughing it on the couch until I can find my own place."

"Like hell you are!" Jay stood up. "I'll sleep on the couch, and don't even try to argue with me."

Jeslyn quickly closed her mouth.

"As for a place to stay, we'll work that out in the morning." He turned and got the spare bedding to make up the couch.

"You're still looking out for me, huh Jay?" She kissed his cheek.

"Always darlin'." He kissed her forehead. "Bed. Now. We'll talk more in the morning."

"Sir, yes, sir!" She mock saluted him and went into the bedroom.

Once the door was closed, he went about to making up the couch. He wasn't about to let Jeslyn find a place on her own. There was no neighborhood in Chicago that would be in her price range and safe for a single, young, pretty girl like her. Once the couch was done up, he lay down and continued revisiting memory lane.

Jeslyn's Senior Year… (Approx. 8 years ago.)

"Jes!" Jay ran towards the young woman who'd become a sister to him.

"Jay! You're back!" Jeslyn threw her arms around his neck.

"Did you honestly think I'd miss your birthday… or Prom, for that matter?"

"I didn't think you'd be able to make both."

"I pulled strings. I wouldn't miss this for the world." Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to pull enough strings to make Graduation, but his mom had promised to record it for him.

Jeslyn's birthday went off without a hitch. She was coming out of her shell and making friends. Prom was two weeks away. After Prom, Jaw would have to leave to go make good on his promise to get this time off. He hadn't told her yet. He didn't know how. He also wasn't about to ruin her 16th birthday with these problems. The day after her birthday party however became a total nightmare.

Jay woke up to the doorbell ringing at 6 in the morning. Jay was the first to get there. He wasn't sure if anyone else was up yet. He was going to wish he hadn't gotten up, because that morning was the worst of any morning possible. On their porch stood their priest, Father McMartin and two Canadian servicemen in dress uniform. The one stepped forward. "Does Jeslyn Bellamy live here?"

Jay nodded. He knew what this meant. "I'll go get her."

He bolted up the stairs. "Jes." He knocked on her door. "Hey it's Jay."

"What is it?" Jes poked her head out of the door.

"You need to come downstairs."

They made their way downstairs. Jay stayed next to her when they got to the sunroom. Jes let out a cry when she saw who was waiting there.

"Miss Bellamy?"

Jeslyn swayed. Jay tried his best to steady her. "Yes." Her voice caught in her throat.

"My name is Colonel Durgan. I'm very sorry that I have to tell you this. Your father, Captain Michel Bellamy was killed in action." His voice shook as he delivered this most difficult news.

Jeslyn's knees buckled as the news hit her. Jay caught her and held her to his chest. Her sobs of "NO!" resonated against him as her tears slid down his bare chest. He turned to look at the colonel. "Are you sure?"

The Colonel nodded sadly. His eyes were filled with sadness. Jay didn't know what to say or do. He just held her as she mourned the loss of her father.

Jay accompanied Jeslyn back to Ottawa for her father's funeral. Jeslyn's spirit was broken and there wasn't a single thing Jay could do to help her and this left him at a loss. Ranger training had never prepared him for this. His guilt level was also through the roof. He was about to deploy on a one-year classified mission to Afghanistan. She would never forgive him.

When they got back to Chicago, Jay asked if she had made plans for prom.

"You need to celebrate, Jes. You need joy in your life again." Jay tried to convince her.

"Jay, I don't want to. Why can't you understand? I just want this over. I'm tired of the constant pity party."

"For me?" His eyes hopefully were pleading his case.

"Well…" She smiled shyly. "I was asked to go."

Jay gave a wry grin. "Who?"

Her face turned crimson. This told Jay that it was most likely the guy she'd had a crush on for the last year.

"Will asked me."

"Then go for it."

That was all it took to get her to have a better end to her senior year.

Two days before Jeslyn's Prom…

"No." Jes's voice echoed into the entryway.

Jay opened the door to the house a little wider. "Jes?" He couldn't see her. "Everything okay?"

"No! Stop it!" Her tone wasn't joking anymore.

Jay dropped the grocery bags he had been carrying and booked it up the stairs. "Jes!"

"Jay!" Her shriek made his blood curdle. "Hel…"

"Shut up! You know you want to." A male's voice came from her room.

"Jeslyn! I'm coming!" Jay tried the door. It was locked.

At this point, he didn't care about the door or how his mom would be pissed at the busted door. He threw his whole weight behind his shoulder and crashed into her room. She was half naked and being pinned to the bed by her prom date. Jay let his Ranger training kick in. He felt the teen's body lift. He flung him across the room with all his strength. The teen fell into a limp pile. Jes threw herself at Jay and wept.

"Jes, we need to call the police."

Her tear streaked face looked up at him. "Do we have to?" Then she looked at the unconscious Will. "Did you kill him?"

Jay shook his head. "I should've." He grabbed his cell and called 9-1-1.

Prom day…

Jay hoped his surprise would help Jeslyn recover from the many recent traumas she'd endured. He knocked on her door. "Jeslyn."

"I'm not in the mood." He could still hear the pain in her voice.

The school had dealt with the situation and Will was facing prison time, but that hadn't killed the rumor mill. "Jes. Please. Let me in."

"It's unlocked." She sniffled.

Jay slowly opened the door. "Hey darlin'."

Jes lifted her head from 'Pride and Prejudice'. "What on earth?"

Jay stood in the middle of her room in full Ranger dress uniform with 2 dozen roses in his arms. He'd received special permission for the uniform, but everything he'd have to do to make up for every favor he'd asked for would be worth it to see Jeslyn happy again. "You look kind of funny to be going to your senior prom."

"I can't. Not after…"

"You can, and you will."

"My date's in prison."

Jay gave his signature goofy grin. "What am I? Chopped liver?"

"But the rules…"

"Don't apply." He handed her the bouquet. "Get ready because this is your night."

That was all it took. Hours later they were dancing the night away and Jeslyn was smiling again.

With that last peaceful memory, Jay drifted off into a deep slumber.