Final chapter, and a big, big thank you to justkillingtimewhileiwait for all of her help with this entire fic and the beta-ing. It really would not exist without her. You are awesome! :)

It only occurred to him once he was fully recovered and back to work from the shooting that Erin hadn't disputed his want to spend the rest of their lives together. Even if he had been joking about annoying her for the most of it.

It hadn't come up again, but in true Erin fashion, Jay wasn't sure if that was because she had brushed it off or was refusing to deal with it. He had experienced the same kind of doubts when he had asked her to move in with him a year earlier, where she hadn't directly addressed that step in their relationship until he had pressed her. And when he had, he had been pleasantly surprised to find that she was at the same place as he had been.

But this? This was something he definitely wanted. And unless he was actually asking her the question, it wasn't something he could ask her about. So instead he had dropped a couple of hints to try to gauge her reaction to a bigger commitment and a future together, mentioning retiring in Wisconsin again and investing in a new car because, let's face it, both of theirs had seen much better days.

Erin had smiled at the idea of Wisconsin, jibing carelessly about needing to sort out the creaking panels on the stairs, however, if she was going to stay there for more than a week. But it was her reply to the car which had given him the reassurance he had needed.

"Okay, but babe, you do realise we still have like 4 years left on paying off this place right? Unless something spectacular happens to them, why don't we just put it on the back burner until we're official homeowners?" she reasoned as they sat lazily on the couch in front of the TV, relaxing after a finishing up a tough case that had last for the better part of the past week.

Jay smiled to himself at her reply, glad she was unable to see from her position sprawled across his chest. "Yeah, I guess so. We do use the GMC more often than not these days, anyways."

"Exactly. And who knows what else might happen in the next 4 years. If there's one thing my sabbatical taught me, it was that saving up for rainy days isn't the worst idea," Erin added. The subject of her relapse over two years earlier was barely ever addressed, but when it was, Jay had found that she had made her peace with it. It had been a terrible time in her life, but pretending it hadn't happened would only mean she hadn't dealt with it.

Pressing his lips to the top of her head, he muttered into her hair, "I really hope your sabbatical taught you more than that, otherwise we're gonna need to have a talk." He tightened the arm around her waist to show he was just joking, laughing when she slapped him on the abdomen with a dramatically outraged gasp.

"You're lucky you're cute, you know that? 'Cause your sense of humour is nonexistent, and that's just sadly unattractive," she told him with a huff, tilting her head up to glare at him though the smile she couldn't keep back ruined the effect completely.

Jay leaned down to kiss her chastely. "Yeah, well, the joke's on you because you're the one who's stuck with me." Erin hummed noncommittally at that and he took it as a win.

Which was how he had found himself texting his boss the next free Saturday they had, asking if he could pop over for a quick visit. He had done it without thinking, knowing any second guessing would give him cold feet, or worse, doubts.

Voight had replied not 10 minutes later, telling him he had some time that morning if he made it quick. So with an excuse of seeing Will and making sure he was alright after his break up with Nina, Jay had kissed Erin goodbye and headed straight out.

Jay parked outside the Voight house like he had done many times before, turning off the engine and sitting for a minute. He had no idea why he was trying to summon up the courage to do this; he was an Army Ranger, for god's sake. He'd face fresh hell when on tour for days, and nights, straight, and got through coming back home. He'd even broken Voight's very own rule about relationships in his team, and more than that, with the woman he considered a daughter.

But really, he did know why he was so nervous. This was the step that would set everything in motion. It would be the first time he would admit to someone other than his brother, who had heard it when he had still been in New York and Jay had drunkenly replied to a text that he was going to marry his partner one day, that he wanted everything with Erin. And he wanted it soon.

Letting out a long breath, he opened the car door and got out before he could convince himself otherwise. Jogging up the porch stairs, he knocked on the door, not having to wait long until Voight appeared and invited him in.

"What can I do for you, Halstead?" he asked as he led them towards the kitchen.

"It's about Erin," Jay began, taking a seat at the table when Voight gestured for him to do so after silently asking if he wanted a coffee.

"Is she alright?" Voight pressed, sliding a cup towards him and taking the seat on the opposite side of the table.

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine," he brushed off, stalling while he sipped his drink. It wasn't the kind of liquid courage he would like, but it was good enough at 9 a.m. on a Saturday. "It's actually about Erin and I. I want to ask her to marry me, and I wanted your permission."

The sound of Voight's surprised chuckle was definitely not what Jay had expected as a response to that. "My permission?"

"Yes, sir. You're her father in every way that counts, and I know you haven't always approved of our relationship, or liked me very much, but I do love her. More than anything," Jay explained earnestly, watching carefully as Voight's features slowly transformed back to his typical stoic facade.

"You think I would have let you stay in my unit if I didn't like you?" Voight asked rhetorically, arching a brow at the younger man who merely nodded, considering his words.

"I guess that answers that question," he stated lightly.

Voight shook his head almost fondly at the reply before taking them back to one of their earliest conversations. "When I told you to stay away from Erin, it was for your own benefit. And when I didn't approve of your relationship, it was because I didn't need that kind of drama in my team, and definitely not between two of my best detectives."

Unable to think of what to say to his boss basically admitting that he never had really had a problem with him as a whole, Jay reverted to what he knew best and joked, "Well, I can't promise there'll never be drama with Erin around."

"Understatement of the year," Voight remarked with a small laugh.

They sat in a beat of silence, drinking their coffee whilst Jay pondered what it was the other man was considering. He hadn't thought it would take so long, if he had been honest. He would ask Voight for permission to marry Erin, and then leave with the answer, dealing with the consequences once he's out of there. Coffee and a chat definitely hadn't fitted into those plans, and he was personally glad he had told Erin he'd gone over to see Will to give him the extra time.

"Do you really think you need my permission to marry her?" Voight finally questioned, hold Jay's gaze as he did to people when he wanted to see if they were lying.

"No, but I'd like it," he replied truthfully.

An impressed look passed over Voight's face at his admission, and, if Jay was being daring, he might have said there was a hint of pride there too. "If I say no?"

"Then I'll propose anyway, but I know it'd mean a lot to her if we had your approval," he answered, before confessing, "It'd mean a lot to me."

Voight sighed deeply, and Jay prepared himself to hear his rejection. "She'll be pissed when she finds out, but yeah, you have my approval."

Relief flooded him instantly, a weight he had no idea he had been carrying lifting off his shoulders and chest. "Yeah?" Jay questioned to make sure he was hearing right, unable to keep the keep the grin back when he saw Voight roll his eyes good-naturedly, a smile on his face too.

"You're a good guy, Jay. One of the best I know. It'd be an honour to have you as part of the family." It was rare to hear a compliment from his boss, so Jay took it to heart and understood he truly meant every word he said.

"That is if she says yes," he muttered, realising that now he had gotten permission from Voight, the next person who could deter him would be Erin herself.

"She will," Voight replied confidently, as if he knew something Jay didn't. In truth, he probably did, and Jay knew he would never know what it was.

…

He recruited Will immediately in an effort to pick the perfect ring for Erin, only to find that his idea of helping was enough to make Jay want to bash his head in. So he got Burgess to tag along too, making them both swear a vow of silence as he took them to the one store where he had thought he had found the perfect ring.

They had agreed.

It was a solitaire diamond, princess cut on a platinum band, according to the jeweller. All Jay knew was that it was gorgeous and he didn't want to propose with any other ring but that.

However, that had been three months earlier and Jay was no closer to proposing than he had been when he had gone to see Voight. He kept telling himself that he was simply waiting for the perfect moment, that he couldn't do it on the job and that it wasn't like he could keep the ring on him all the time.

He had contemplated taking her to the cabin and proposing there, but it was already cold enough in Chicago that Jay couldn't put her through a Northern Wisconsin winter too. He wanted her to say yes, after all.

So eventually he plucked the ring out of the box and decided to start keeping the ring on him when off duty, in case the ideal moment popped up when they were strolling in the park one day, or when casually grabbing some coffee one morning. It was unlikely, but Jay was running out of ideas.

In lack of his better judgement, Jay went back to his Will for some help where the doctor had suggested a fancy dinner, to which he had shot down immediately.

"Have you met Erin? She'd hate all the attention," Jay told him, stealing a beer from the fridge of his brother's new apartment.

"Then just hire the whole place out or something," Will countered with a casual shrug, to which Jay glared.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did we get transported to some Twilight Zone world where cops make enough money to do that crap?"

After that, his big brother hadn't been much of a help. Burgess had suggested the locker room, but Jay ruled out work altogether. And he was loathed to admit it but he was still scared of Voight enough to prevent him from asking him for an opinion. The last thing he wanted for the sergeant take back his approval when if he thought Jay couldn't even think of a way to propose. It wasn't a great start to married life, that was sure.

…

Having wrapped up another tough case, Jay put all of the frustration that had recently built up to the back of his mind as he focused on getting the two of them to unwind for that evening. They had grabbed some Chinese on the way home, stopping by a little bakery to indulge in some cupcakes too, and were now settled on the floor of their living room as they silently ate and watched mindless TV.

Well, it was mindless to most people, but Jay for some reason really got into the documentaries that were constantly on the educational channels. Even Erin had grown to tolerate it, especially when she was too tired to care about what was on and just wanted to eat, spend time together and relax.

Jay furrowed his brow as he concentrated on the TV, listening carefully about the aboriginal tribes of Australia and their traditional tribal tattoos. How they were worn with pride with each one having a significant meaning, usually related to a moment or an aspect of their lives.

Which, for a reason unknown to him, somehow got him thinking about the woman sat a foot away on his left, head tilted back onto the couch with her legs crossed and food forgotten on the coffee table in front of them.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but how did you never get a tattoo?" he questioned, out of the blue. Because he knew her and he knew her body, and even if he had initially missed the scar on her belly button, he knew she didn't have any ink on her skin at all.

Erin tilted her head to look at him slowly, arching a brow as a frown tugged at her lips. "I feel like you need to explain some more before I can justifiably get mad at you and eat the last cupcake."

Laughing, Jay pushed the box which had once contained three cupcakes towards her and then got about tidying up the boxes of takeout now they were done with dinner. "I mean, you know; street kid, wild child and all. You've got piercings to tell the tale."

Erin shrugged as she finally followed his train of thoughts. "Yeah, well, piercings are easy to do yourself. Tattoos, not too much. Plus they cost money and money went towards one of two things back then," she said, not having to clarify what the two things she would have spent her money on back as a young teen. Picking at the cupcake, she chewed on a large piece as her lips quirked up. "And then at Hank's, I'm pretty sure he would've tried to scrub it off with sandpaper if I ever came home with a tattoo."

"Well, if you ever consider it, I have a great idea for one," Jay told her as he sat back again, shooting her a wolfish smile which left nothing a secret as to what he was thinking.

"Lemme guess, it's one syllable and three letters long?" she replied dryly, shooting him a sarcastic grin when he chuckled.

"I'm glad we're on the same page. I mean, you could condense it to just one letter if you wanted to, it'd mean the same thing," he continued, reaching out and brushing his knuckles over her left breast, above her heart. "Right about here, I reckon."

Scoffing, Erin shoved at his shoulder to make him drop his hand. "Possessive, much?"

"You love it," he bit back immediately, loving the way she laughed and shook her head at him.

"Debatable." Patting his chest at the same place he had skimmed over her body, she threw him a dimpled smile and lowered her voice seductively. "You first, babe, and then we'll talk about it."

Jay pretended to consider it, staring at her for a moment and watching as the playful glint in her eyes made them a bit lighter than normal. His own searching hers, something simply fell into place and told him that perfect moment he had been looking for was now, regardless of the less than romantic conversation they were having.

"Tell you what; how about just a ring for now?" he asked softly, seriously. Amusement still shone on her features as he shifted onto his knees to allow him to reach into his pocket to retrieve the engagement ring he'd tucked there earlier.

"What?" Erin laughed in confusion, looking away for a second to placed the empty cupcake wrapper onto the table before turning back to him. She sobered up rapidly and gasped when he fell to one knee next to her instead of stretching back out again. "Whoa!"

Jay smiled warmly at her reaction, proffering the ring between his fingers to her. "I love you, Erin, and I want to spend my entire life with you. And short of a tattoo, I can't think of any more official way of showing you that except this. So, will you marry me?"

"Yes, of course, I'll marry you!" she answered without hesitation. It took longer for Jay to register her reply, knowing he had heard correctly when she nodded along with her answer.

Grinning at the realisation that she really had said yes, he lifted her left hand from her lap and slid on the ring. It was a perfect fit, as he had made sure it would be, and sparkled even in the artificial lights of their living room.

When Erin let out a breathy laugh, Jay smiled up at her. He lifted her hand up to his lips and then leant in to kiss her, hoping he could portray everything he was feeling at her accepting his proposal without being able to say it. He'd never been the most articulate person in the world, but with Erin, he'd realised actions spoke much louder than words.

Breaking apart only when they were forced to for air, Jay reluctantly opened his eyes when he felt her free hand against his cheek. "I love you, too. So much," she whispered with a soft smile.

Pressing one last kiss to her lips, he sat back and smirked at her. "You're only saying that to get out of the tattoo."

"If I'd take a bullet for you, don't you think I'd get a tattoo for you?" she laughed before holding up the hand Jay still held. "But you've gone and gotten me this gorgeous ring now."

"Which I think I love the sight of more," he replied, rubbing his thumb over the band of the ring.

This time it was Erin who leaned in, lips brushing over his, unable to keep away. "Me, too."

…

Jay groaned when he felt her shift once again, instantly awaking him as she came to lay half upon him. They were both tangled up in the bedsheets, not having the energy to sort it out after celebrating their engagement for many, many hours before having succumbed to sleep.

Or least he had. Erin, on the other hand, somehow still had the energy to move around whereas all he could do was stroke his hand up and down her bare back soothingly.

"Go to sleep," he muttered, not bothering to open his eyes in hopes sleep would take him instantly once again. He had never been happier to have the next day off.

"You go to sleep," she shot back lamely.

"I'm trying but someone keeps sighing, and turning, and touching," Jay told her, cracking open an eye and watching as she bit her bottom lip guiltily, yet not stopping in her actions.

The heel of her left hand pressed gently against his shoulder as she took in the diamond ring that newly adorned her finger. He knew she wasn't a big fan of jewellery, but his ego was definitely enjoying the way she couldn't keep her eyes off the ring.

"I'm happy. Deal with it," Erin commented as she curled her hand around his shoulder and used it as leverage to push herself up so she could hover over him.

Now wide awake, he arched a brow and smirked boyishly. "Oh, I did deal with it. Multiple times if I remember correctly," he said, brushing back her tousled hair and keeping his hand on her neck as she dipped down to kiss him. He pressed her closer to him with his other hand still on her back, looking into her bright eyes when she pulled away. "You're really so happy you can't sleep?"

"And excited. But yeah," she admitted, kissing him once more. She laid back down on his chest, peering up at him and carrying on their conversation before he could even process her words and how they elated him. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Proposing? A while now. Actually deciding it's time? About a month or two." Her surprised look told him that that was definitely not the answer she had been expecting.

"You've had the ring for that long?" He nodded, causing her to laugh dryly and rest her head on his shoulder. "Wow, I'm a terrible detective."

Jay chuckled at her dejected tone, hugging her into his side. "Nah, I just know you. I know where you wouldn't look."

Erin sat up immediately at his reply, narrowing her eyes at him and pointing an accusing finger. "I swear, if you say it was the cupboard under the sink with all the cleaning products, this will be the shortest engagement known to man."

"I would never!" he exclaimed, amusement lining his words as he tugged her back down again. "But if it had been, you wouldn't have known, right?"

"Go to sleep, Jay," she all but grumbled, finally settling in for the night to allow them both to sleep.

...

True to Voight's words, Erin had been pissed when she had found out that Jay had asked him for approval before proposing. It hadn't lasted long, not when Jay clarified that his answer wouldn't have deterred him but Voight giving him the green light only gave him the confidence that she would say yes.

After that, it was a bit difficult for her to stay mad at him, knowing how hard he had taken it when he had thought that Voight would think he wasn't good enough for her.

"I can't believe you actually had the guts to ask Hank for permission to marry me," Erin teased once they had managed to tear themselves apart and get out of bed and the shower to have some breakfast.

"What can I say? I'm a traditionalist," Jay remarked, throwing her his winning smile over his shoulder as he prepared their food whilst she sat at the table with the coffee ready.

Erin scoffed incredulously, pulling a foot onto her chair and resting her chin on her knee. "Yeah, okay; the Irish, Catholic-schooled boy who's been living in sin for the past year is a traditionalist."

"Not for much longer," he reminded her, looking pointedly at her left hand as he pushed a plate with buttered toast towards her and took the seat opposite. "And I know that despite stating otherwise on numerous occasions, Voight is, for all intent and purpose, your father and you do care about what he thinks. And if nothing else, he deserved it for me to ask him first."

Jay took a bite out of his breakfast as he watched her mull his words over, a soft smile pulling at her lips as she sipped her steaming coffee. She nodded concedingly at him, accepting what he had said as reason enough for doing what he did.

"I still can't believe you had the guts to ask him, in the privacy of his own home, with no backup or a weapon. I mean, he very literally could have killed you," she pointed out, far too lightheartedly for his liking.

He shrugged nonetheless. "You're worth it."

"Aww," she gushed, scrunching her nose cutely. "I guess you really have won him over, huh?"

Tilting his head slightly, he considered the conversation he and Voight had had went he had gone over to ask for permission to marry Erin. "Yeah, seems like it."

…

The first stop they made after breakfast was to see Voight. It was both out of courtesy and Erin unable to keep it to herself for another day. They figured making the announcement in person was the least he deserved, and it was little out of their way for the domestic duties they needed to fulfil afterwards.

Turned out, when it came to the sergeant in charge of the Intelligence unit, there was no real need for an announcement. Voight spotted the ring the moment he answered the door to the rather enthusiastic couple on his doorstep.

"You finally did it, huh? I beginning to think you had chickened out," Voight laughed after leading them into the front room, patting Jay on the back as he spoke.

"How long was a while, Jay?" Erin probed, recalling his words from the previous night when she had asked how long he had been planning on proposing for.

Shrugging, he brushed off her question. "A few months. It's all irrelevant now."

"Uh-huh," she replied, evidently finding it amusing and knowing he was lying.

Turning back to Voight, she lifted her hand when he gestured for her to let him see. He gave the ring a quick glance before turning his attention back to his pseudo-daughter's happy features. "Looks beautiful."

"Thanks," Jay and Erin replied at the same time, giving each other incredulous looks when they realised what the other had said.

"I chose it," Jay defended himself, grinning smugly when she rolled her eyes and backed down.

"Congratulations, kiddo. You picked a good one," he told her with a brief hug, turning her towards him when he pulled back. His eyes flickered over her shoulder to the man in question before adding, "But you tell me if anything changes, alright? A ring is just a ring sometimes."

Groaning at his overprotective nature, Erin slipped out of the light grip he had on her shoulder and walked to Jay's side. "Gee, thanks, Hank. Way to ruin it."

"Just making sure you know," Voight stated coolly before holding out a hand towards the other man. "Jay, welcome to the family."

"I'm glad to be a part of it," he replied honestly, shaking his hand.

It was brief and casual, but Jay knew the meaning behind the gesture was far greater than could be explained. Voight chose his own family, both at work and at home. He chose who to keep close out of love and who to keep close out of paranoia.

Jay had no doubts that once upon a time, he would have gone straight into the second column. But not anymore. And whether it was because he managed to win Voight over like he had vowed to, or because Voight had given him a chance based on who he was as a person, Jay realised he didn't really care anymore. Not as long as the jibes the sergeant would continue to taunt him with were his way of showing the little affection Jay was sure the older man now held for him.

"Finally," Erin murmured from next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

Jay smiled down at her and brushed his lips against her forehead. "Finally."