I know I told you guys that I would finish a couple more stories before I started anything new, but I've been a little blocked on what to write for any of my open stories, but I still wanted to get something up for you. Even if it is brand new. Anyways, give this story a chance and I hope you guys will enjoy it! Happy reading!

Jay

"Who's that?" I ask my mother's aide Blake, as my eye catches on a beautiful brunette across the room, a drink resting in her hand as she huddles in the corner, making herself small, but unable to blend in while she's in that beautiful light pink beaded dress.

"Not anyone you should worry about, she's one of the cop's daughters," He says quickly, his voice finicky, hair perfectly gelled into place and a bow tie precisely tied on a crisp white collar. He's a nice guy, but he's loyal to my mother, almost to a fault. Which I guess she should be, but it still drives me crazy sometimes.

"Blake," I ask again, being drawn to her for reasons other than any political or business connections, "Who is she?" People have been approaching me all night, just for once, I want to talk to someone that I actually want to talk to. Or at least seems kind of normal.

"Her name is Erin Lindsay, she's Hank and Camille Voight's daughter," He says, somehow knowing the name, face, and history of every person in here. I really don't know how he does that.

"Good to know," I say, a smile on my face as bring myself away from Blake, moving closer and closer towards Erin Lindsay.

"Sir!" He calls behind me nervously.

"Go have fun Blake!" I call behind me absentmindedly, hoping that I can shake my mother's human nanny cam for even a second. "Hi," I say softly as I look at her, her eyes slowly raising from the floor.

"Hi," She responds halfheartedly. It really doesn't look like she wants to be here. I know that because she looks exactly the way I did before my mother's team threw me into media training, telling me how to make a smile look real and pretend to be interested while still seeming genuine.

"I'm Jay Halstead," I say, reaching my hand out to shake hers. "Nice to meet you,"

"What the hell are you doing over here?" She asks sarcastically, her shyness dropping faster than speeding bullet. "Shouldn't you be schmoozing?"

"You know who I am," I say with a sigh.

"Dude your mom is the President of the United States, the entire country knows what your face looks like." She says with a smirk, "and the name drop didn't really help matters,"

"Not my fault that my mom likes politics,"

"Indeed," She says with a small smile, "But it is in fact your problem,"

"See I knew there was a reason I came over here," I tell her before taking a small sip of the whiskey that's been resting in my hand for far too long.

"And that would be?" She says with a laugh. I like her laugh. It's not the fake one I hear when my dad tells a bad joke, but people laugh about it anyway because of who we are, it's real.

"You're refreshing," I tell her with a smile.

"I'm refreshing? Like an ice cold glass of lemonade in the middle of July?" She teases.

"Exactly like that," I tell her with a grin, "You don't need any favors,"

"Who said I didn't need any favors?" She says with a cocked eyebrow. "Maybe I planned this whole thing, just lingering alone in a corner, focusing way too hard on stirring my drink and just hoping that you would come over here so I could tell you everything on my long list of grievances with the United States government,"

"Well that would be pathetic," I assure her, "But it is also a phenomenon that I have experienced several times,'

"I promise I'm not that pathetic, sometimes I get close, but this is where I draw the line," She assures me. "Now scurry along, go schmooze,"

"I'm good right here," I tell her, moving close.

"Well I'm not," She tells me, passing me her drink, "Nice meeting you Halstead,"

"Maybe I'll see you again?" I ask her as she starts to walk away, "I'd love to have some more lemonade,"

"I'm sure you would!" She calls back to me, before giving me one final wave and a smirk before rushing back over to an older couple who I assume are her parents.

"Sir there's someone who wants to speak to you," Blake says suddenly as he appears, scaring the crap out of me as I watch Erin Lindsay disappear into the crowd.

"Jeez Blake we need to put a bell on you," I exclaim as I follow him through the full crowd of the gala, people's eyes quickly flitting over to me as they realize who I am.

"Sorry sir," He responds. "Just trying to do my job,"

"I know, I know," I say, strangely feeling bad about that comment, "Just brief me, let's get this over with,"

Erin

"So who was that sweetheart?" Camille asks as we drive home from the gala, the world dark outside, the occasional street lamp lighting up the car.

"It was nobody," I tell her, not willing to explain why I was chatting up the son of the President of the United States. I'm still not super sure what happened. I have no clue why he decided to talk to me of all people, I'm not even sure why he was at that event. And given his family's status, there was no way that I was going to pass up giving him a hard time. Besides, it's not like I'll ever see him again.

"Well he looked cute," She tells me with a smile, turning around and leaning towards me.

"Camille you saw him from across a crowded ballroom," I say with an eye roll.

"And that's how you know it's true, I could see those eyes from all that way away," She tells me with that perfect and pearly white smile of hers, that same smile that welcomed me into her home on day one. I was terrified riding home in the backseat of Hank's car. I felt safe, I knew that no one was going to hurt me, but Hank is Hank. And Hank can be scary. It was Camille who was the one who truly made me feel at home.

"Well it was a one time thing," I assure her.

"We're almost home," Hank grumbles, already not in the best mood after being forced by his commander to attend this thing. He has to go every year, he tries to get out of it every year, and every year, he fails. So every year, Camille and I take it as an excuse to get all dressed up. It was a little tradition that we started when I moved in with them and it hasn't stopped since I've moved away and gone to college, I come home every year, even if I do usually end up alone in a corner.

"And," I ask him, giving him my best grin.

"Can this wait until then?" He grumbles tiredly, just wanting to pull all this formal crap off and crash in his bed.

"Or we can just abandon it now?" I offer, still wanting to leave the topic of Jay Halstead. He's cute, I'll admit that, and he's charming. But he's also way out of my league.

"Works for me," He tells me.

"Fantastic," I respond.

"Oh you guys are no fun," Camille pouts as we pull into the driveway. "I thought part of the fun of having a girl was that we got to team up against the boys,"

"Well I think you got the wrong girl," I tell her with a laugh as Hank parks the car, me quickly jumping out the back door of the SUV.

"Oh no," She says, pulling me into her side and pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "You are my perfect girl,"

"Thanks Camille," I tell her as I allow myself to melt into the woman I've come to know as my mother.

"So kid," Hank asks as we walk back up in the house, "When are leaving us to go back to school?"

"Tomorrow morning," I tell them.

"Do you really have to leave us so soon?" Camille asks.

"C'mon you know the drill, we've been doing this for what, four years now?" I joke with her, my feet aching from the heels I've subjected myself to. I can almost feel the blisters that I know will be red and angry tomorrow.

"I know, I know," She says, dragging out her words as Hank unlocks the front doors, "but you're so far away and we never see you,"

"I'm here now," I tell her with a hug, "Besides, it's only three more months, then I graduate and I'll be back in the city,"

"It's been way too long," Hank says, "I miss having you here,"

"Aw who knew tough guy could have emotions," I tease him.

"Oh you thought I missed you?" He responds, "no, no, no, this way I can keep tabs on you,"

"Oh I see how it is," I retort as I begin to climb up the stairs, every muscle and bone in my body feeling the impact of the long day out and the cramped weekend of traveling and catching up with everyone.

"You going to go to bed?" Camille asks. "I think Hank and I are going to stay up for a little while,"

"Yeah I'm beat," I tell her, pulling off my nude shoes as I climb the stairs.

"Alright, sleep tight babes, I'll see you in the morning," She says as she blows me a kiss.

"We'll take you to breakfast in the morning and then drive you to the airport okay?" Hank says.

"Sounds good," I tell him. "Grady's?" I ask.

"Do we go anywhere else?" He calls after me.

"Good point?" I yell back, my dress now brushing along the floor as I walk into my old bedroom, closing the door behind me and slipping it out of my dress, letting it fall into a pile on the floor. I'll deal with it tomorrow. I toss my shoes into the suitcase lying open on the floor, pulling off my earrings, and tossing my gold necklace on my desk. I grab a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, the emblem of my high school spread down the left leg before tossing my perfectly curled hair into a easy bun and quickly wipe off the light makeup I'd applied hours earlier, quickly plopping into my bed and curling up in the puffy duvet.

Before I even know what I'm doing, I've grabbed my laptop and the name Jay Halstead is typed into my search bar and millions of results have popped up. I scroll through them all, mentally kicking myself. I don't know this, I don't cyber stalk guys. Not that it'll be hard with this guy. Or I'll ever see him again. But I do learn a lot about him.

He's the middle child, he has an older sister name Abigail and an older brother named William, two younger sisters named Eleanor and Madeleine. His real name isn't even Jay. It's James. His father comes from a political dynasty, a long line of senators and congressmen in their family tree. She didn't, she came from a working class family in Chicago. I guess once they realized that Patrick wasn't going to pursue a career in politics, they converted all their resources to Juliette, previously the woman who simply stood on Patrick's arm making polite conversation. And it worked. She now holds the highest office in the land, the first woman to do so.

As I get deeper and deeper into the Wikipedia hole of the Halstead dynasty, I have to tell myself to stop, finally shutting my laptop and turning off the light, willing myself to go to sleep, but the thoughts of Jay Halstead still lingering, unwilling to be turned off.

I did promise you guys a Linstead college AU and this probably isn't what you were expecting, but I hope you'll give it a chance. I know it's a little bit on the shorter side, but I just wanted to set the stage for you guys. Also I'm not sure if I'm going to contineue this, so if you liked it, let me know in the reviews! Thanks for reading and please review!

Xoxo,

Addison