O: Ocean

*Jay takes Erin and the kids to the beach for the first time.

*Connor- 5, Henry- 4, Sophia- 4, Emma- 2.

The absolute worst time to find out that the Halsteads had car sickness was on their 14 hour drive to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Erin and Jay didn't know how to react when Connor suddenly shouted for his dad to pull over the car. Erin had sat on the side of the highway with him while he emptied his stomach into the grass.

It was like a domino effect. Sophia threw up next, then Emma, and then Henry. They had stopped at a gas station and gotten bags so that the kids at least had a place to throw up.

By the time they got to the condo they were staying in, both of the adults were exhausted. Jay ran in to get a cart that they could put their bags on while Erin waited with the kids.

"Mama?"

"Yeah, Soph?"

"Is the ocean fun?"

"I don't know. I've never been here before, remember? Only Daddy has been to the beach." Erin couldn't deny that she was excited. They had been saving for this vacation since before their children were born and they decided now was the perfect time. They were staying in a condo right on the beach. They hadn't seen the water yet, but Erin could smell the salty air.

Jay returned a moment later with a cart. He opened the back of the SUV and started to load their bags onto the cart while Erin grabbed the ones they had stashed on the floor inside the car. Luckily, they were able to fit it all.

"Come on, guys. Let's go see our room." It was about 7pm, so it was still light out, but everyone was exhausted. She knew they wouldn't make it long.

Erin held Emma while the other three eagerly followed their father. Jay turned to look at his wife. "Are you excited?"

"Despite the terrible car ride, yeah, I am." She smiled. She and Jay had been talking about this since before they became parents and now, it was becoming a reality.

Jay let Connor press the button in the elevator. Connor, Sophia, and Henry were practically bouncing, glad to finally be out of the car. When they got to their floor, they all ran out.

"Slow down!" Jay called after them. "You don't know where we are, so you need to stay with Mama and I."

"Sorry, Daddy." Henry apologized, hanging back and waiting for him. Erin walked ahead so she could unlock the door.

"Wow." She gasped when she saw the room. There was an open living room, kitchen, and dining room with a balcony that would give them an ocean view. They had a large master bedroom with an attached bathroom, and then a second bedroom with two full sized beds and a bathroom. There was even a laundry room for them to use.

"This is nice." Jay agreed. He started pulling the bags off the cart and sitting them on the floor.

Erin helped him, then approached the balcony. As soon as she looked out the glass door, she felt like her breath was being taken away. She had never seen something so big before. The sunlight was sparkling off the water and the sand was a beautiful white.

Jay opened the door and they went outside together. They both started laughing at the same time.

"This is much nicer than anywhere I stayed as a kid." Jay admitted.

"This is beautiful."

"I can't wait for you to feel the water. There's nothing like being in the ocean." He wrapped his arm around her. "We finally did it, baby. We're at the beach."

Erin leaned up and kissed him. She would have stayed there in his arms forever, just staring out at the ocean, if there wasn't a knock on the door.

They went back inside, seeing that their kids were running around from room to room. Erin couldn't help but smile at their excitement as she opened the door.

"Oh my God, aren't these rooms amazing?" Kim nearly shouted as she stood in front of them. She was holding her and Adam's four month old son, AJ, and had 12 year old Gavin and 11 year old Maddie behind her. Erin moved aside so they could come in.

"Where is your room?" Jay wondered.

"The floor under yours. This condo is beautiful."

It didn't take long before the rest of the team wandered to their room. Hank had brought his grandson, 9 year old Daniel, and they were sharing a room with Alvin. Kim and Adam had their own room with their kids, and Antonio and Atwater were sharing a four bedroom with Eva, Diego, and Atwater's siblings Jordan and Vinessa; the four kids all got along really well, so it worked out.

The whole unit had been grateful to get to take a vacation. They had been solving so many cases lately that when Hank went to the Commander and asked for his entire unit to have a week off, there had been no argument. Everyone had condos in the same building and they were ready to finally relax.

Hank came over to Jay, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I know that this has been something you and Erin have been planning for a long time, and I know she's never seen the ocean before. Why don't I stay with the kids so you can take her down?"

Jay couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Sarge." He went over to where his wife was trying to separate their bags. "Come on."

"Huh? We need to unpack and…"

"It can wait. Hurry before someone sees us." He grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room while everyone else was distracted.

"Where are we going?"

"Hank's got the kids. We're going to go see the ocean."

Erin's smile was blinding. They hurried and ran down the stairs. Once they got to the path leading out to the beach, Erin looked up at him.

"It's really big."

"It can be a little scary, but I promise you'll be safe." Jay slid his shoes off. "Take off your sandals."

Erin slid out of her flipflops and grabbed his hand. As soon as her feet touched the sand, they sank down. "Wow. It's warm."

"Just wait until during the day. It's so hot that it burns to walk across it." He led her down towards the water.

Erin shut her eyes, just taking in the sounds and smells. The water was so loud as it came up and crashed against the sand. She had never smelled that salty smell before, but she knew she would never forget it.

She looked down as the sand started to smooth out from where the water had washed over it. It was damp, but she didn't mind.

Jay stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned against him as the water came close, washing over their feet. He pressed a kiss against her neck as she squealed.

"What do you think?"

"It's amazing." She breathed, scared that if she spoke to loudly it would ruin the moment. All her life, she had wanted to see the ocean, and now she was here. It was unbelievable. "Do you think the kids will like it?"

"They might be a little scared, but I think they'll be okay. Connor will love it for sure."

Erin nodded in agreement; their oldest was exactly like his father. She thought Sophia would be a little apprehensive, and maybe even Emma, but the boys would probably have fun.

"Tomorrow, we'll actually get in it and you can see what it's like."

"I can't wait."

The next morning, everyone was packing up to go down to the beach. Jay was making sandwiches and grabbing snacks to take with them, while Erin was chasing around the kids and getting their bathing suits put on them.

"Come here, Princess." Jay grabbed Sophia as she ran by him. She was naked and giggling, trying to escape from her mother. He held her still so Erin could put her bathing suit on her.

"Alright, the kids are ready."

"Let's do sunscreen. The sun is a lot harsher here, so we're going to have to really load it on and then keep applying every hour or so." Jay stated. He grabbed the bottle and got started on Sophia, while Erin took Henry and did the same.

After all of the Halsteads were covered in sunscreen, Erin grabbed their beach bag and Jay took the cooler. They rode the elevator downstairs and saw the others waiting for them.

They all talked and laughed as they made their way outside. There was an indoor pool and an outdoor pool at the condo, so if they got too tired of the beach, they could always go there instead.

"Stay right here, guys." Erin called to the kids. They were all eager to run off, but she didn't trust them around the crazy waves. She and Jay had spent all morning hammering rules into the kids to remind them what they needed to do to stay safe.

Hank reached down and picked up Henry right as he went to run past him. Jay was pulling the cooler, but he had Connor next to him. Erin was holding Emma's hand and yelled for Sophia to walk with her.

Adam was the first one to step on the sand. "Wooo, it's already hot!" he leaned down and lifted up Sophia. "I don't want your feet getting burnt, little one."

"Thanks, Ruz." Jay said. Once Erin felt how hot the sand really was, she scooped Emma up and held her on her hip. Atwater swooped in and grabbed Connor, then let Maddie jump onto his back. They were lucky to have friends who cared so much about their children.

They found a good spot to start setting up. The guys got to work on putting up the canopy while Erin and Kim arranged their stuff and unfolded beach chairs.

"Can we go now, Mama?" Connor questioned eagerly.

"In a minute, we have to set up first."

Once they were all finished, they were ready to go into the water. Adam looked at Maddie and Gavin with a smile. "Race ya." The three of them took off into the water. Erin realized that it was their first time at the beach too, but they were older and able to handle themselves. She didn't trust her kids to be in the water alone.

"Come here, guys." She called for her kids. Jay had bought them long sleeved shirts to put over their suits to reduce the amount of sun on their delicate skin. Erin grabbed the bag that held their swimming vests. "You don't go into the water too far, and you don't go in at all if you're not with Daddy or me or another adult who agreed to take care of you. The water is dangerous and it can pull you in and you can get hurt." She buckled Emma's vest first, then Henry's, then Connor's, and finally Sophia's.

"Ready?" Jay asked.

"Yep." Erin confirmed. She grabbed Sophia and Henry's hands, while Jay took Connor and Emma's. They walked down to the water together.

"It's scary, Mama." Sophia said, holding onto Erin's leg.

"It'll be okay, Soph. I'm going to stay right next to you the whole time."

The water washed over their feet and all four kids busted out laughing. The cool water pulled back, causing their feet to sink further into the sand.

"Can we go in?" Connor wondered.

"Let's go." Jay led the way. He started to walk in, keeping a tight grip on Emma. Erin was right behind him with the twins. "Here comes a wave!"

The water rushed in, crashed around them. Jay scooped up Emma right before it hit her, knowing it would probably knock her down.

"Shells!" Henry called out, pointing down. Erin saw that he was right; there were many different sea shells being pulled in and dragged out each time the water rose. He leaned down to pick one up and ended up losing his balance. His face went under for a second and he got up quickly, coughing and rubbing his face. "My eyes!"

Erin leaned down, rubbing her fingers over his eyes to clean them off. "It's salt water, so if it goes in your eyes, it's going to burn. You have to be careful."

She walked slowly into the water, being careful to follow in Jay's footsteps. Sophia laughing happily as she reached out, feeling the water underneath her fingertips.

The next wave came and Jay instructed Connor to jump. He did as his dad said and laughed happily as the water lifted him up. That made Henry and Sophia want to try it. They all stood in a line, holding hands and jumping each time a wave came.

"Me too!" Emma said, trying to wiggle away. Jay leaned down, keeping his hands secure around her waist to help her jump. Since she was so little, he didn't think she would be able to stay on her feet.

"What do you think?" Jay asked Erin as he looked over at her.

"I like it." She put her hand behind Sophia to keep her from falling. "I think this is far enough for the kids though."

"We can pick them up and carry them out." Jay offered. Erin looked and saw that Hank and Daniel were out there with Alvin, Kevin, Antonio, Jordan, Maddie, Gavin, and Diego, tossing a football back and forth. Kim was under the canopy with baby Adam, while Eva and Vinessa chose to lay on their towels and tan.

"Okay." Erin agreed. She lifted Sophia in her left arm and Henry in her right, while Jay did the same with Connor and Emma. They made their way out into the water so they could meet up with the others. It was up past Erin's stomach, but barely touched Jay's waist.

Erin spun around, twirling the twins in the water and making them laugh. Emma was kicking her little feet and giggling when the water hit Connor, who would tickle her. Jay smiled, looking around at his family. It was the perfect day.

"Big wave!" Kevin shouted.

Erin looked over just in time to see a bigger wave barreling towards them. She pulled the twins close but it hit hard, knocking her off her feet. She went under water, but held her arms up as high as she could, hoping that the twins didn't go under. She stood up and coughed, then opened her eyes. The saltwater ran down into them and started to burn.

"Mama!" she heard Connor scream. She looked around, seeing that he wasn't in Jay's arms anymore. She expected him to be crying, but he was laughing loudly despite being drenched. He swam over to her, his vest keeping him above water. Jay was by her side a second later.

"You okay?" he questioned.

Erin looked down at the twins, seeing that their faces were still dry. She sighed in relief, then grabbed Connor's hand, pulling him closer. "That was a big wave."

"Yeah." Jay couldn't help but smile at the unamused expression on her face.

"Hey Emmy!" they all turned to look as Eva called out. "Want to play in the sand?"

"Uh-huh!" she called back, trying to kick her legs and go back to the shore. Jay smiled at her attempts.

"Does anyone else want to make a sand castle?"

"I do!" Henry announced.

They shuffled kids around so that Erin was holding Sophia and Connor. Jay carried Henry and Emma back to the sand and let them run over to Eva and Vinessa. He trusted the teenaged girls to watch the kids, and he knew Kim was right there in case anything went wrong.

When he turned around to go back into the water, he saw that Adam had Sophia now and Connor was on Kevin's shoulders. Jay went to Erin and lifted up, making her squeal in surprise. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, trusting him to keep her above water.

Jay walked out a little further, wanting Erin to know what it felt like when a wave came. As soon as one came close, he lifted his feet up, letting it carry them. She laughed and held on tighter to him.

"It's better when you know a wave is coming." Erin stated.

Jay smiled. "Yeah, at least this time you were able to hold your breath." He kissed her forehead. "So, how are you feeling?"

Erin looked straight into her eyes. "Happy." There was such confidence in her voice and for once, she didn't look like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Jay would spend the rest of his life making sure she was always this happy.

Next up…P- Papa Hank