It had been a very stressful few months for the intelligence unit, they had worked almost non-stop with case after case and barely any time off. It got to the point where everyone was so exhausted, they were struggling with their jobs. So Hank went to the higher ups and asked them if the unit could take a whole week off, to which they agreed under the condition that they used it for a team building experience. When Hank spoke to the unit about the opportunity for a week off, they were all very enthusiastic, they just needed to figure out what they would do. While Hank was in his office, Jay entered and offered up for the group to go up to his family's cabin in Northern Wisconsin, somewhere that he and Erin had been to many times in their 6 year relationship. Jay finally felt that he was ready to show his friends why he (and Erin) loved the cabin so much.

On the day that they were leaving, they all decided to meet up at the district and set off in a hired minibus. Kevin was packing up the bus with Adam when Erin passed them her bag, "Wow, I'm surprised this is your only bag Lindsay! Don't girls usually pack 15x the amount of stuff they need?!" Adam exclaimed.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny Ruzek," She replied rolling her eyes.

Jay laughed, "The only reason she has so little stuff is because I pack for her. My army packing skills come in handy. She just throws me what she wants to take and I fold and pack, it's a good system."

"It's true, I hate packing. It comes in handy having a little neat freak army dude as a fiancé," Erin joked, patting Jay's cheek.

"Aww, I love it when you call me that," Jay grinned - it had only been a couple of months since he had finally proposed and being able to call Erin his fiancé was genuinely one of the best things in his life. She laughed and gave him a quick kiss - she loved being able to call him that too.

"Ugh, get a room will ya?" Adam groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Hey Halstead, I think you should've used some of that packing expertise on Burgess. Jesus christ Kim, how much crap have you bought with you?" Kevin interrupted as he eyed Kim rolling a huge suitcase towards the minibus.

"This is all essential!" Kim replied, handing it to Kev to put in the bus.

Everyone laughed as Kev struggled to lift it onto the bus, once it was packed with the luggage, some food and a lot of booze, they were finally ready to go.

Jay got into the drivers seat and they set off, Al was already asleep at the back of the bus, no one even knew when he had got there, Hank was reading the newspaper, Adam and Kevin were playing games on their phones, Antonio was reading a book, and Erin and Kim were gossiping about Kim's last blind date.

Around an hour into the journey, Jay informed them of the ETA, "Right guys, the satnav estimated time is another 4.5 hours. Which is actually pretty good considering it took us around 9 last time we went up."

"Why do you need a satnav to tell you where to go? Don't you come here loads?" Adam asked.

"I only have it on to warn me about any traffic delays and ETA's. I know this route like the back of my hand. I've probably driven up here over 100 times, but it's just handy having live traffic reports," Jay explained.

"Makes sense. So, why are you driving and not Lindsay? We thought she was the one to wear the driving pants in the relationship," Kevin teased.

Jay rolled his eyes, "Because I get to drive to Wisconsin. It's the rules. Besides, when we usually go up she sleeps the whole way," he laughed, as he looked into the rear view mirror and saw that she was currently asleep, "See, told you."

The drive was boring, no one had been able to agree on what music to play so everyone was listened to their own through their headphones. Jay had some music on the radio low because now no one was talking to him as they had their headphones in or were asleep and didn't like driving in silence. They pulled up at their final stop before the last leg of the journey, everyone got off the bus to stretched their achy legs. Erin walked over to Jay who was currently checking his phone, "You alright? Want me to take over the driving?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He put his arm around her shoulder, "No, I'm alright thanks. We only have another 45 minutes, it's been a relatively easy drive up compared to last time. I'm excited to get back up to the cabin again, it seems like forever since we got a chance to get up there," He replied, kissing her temple.

"I know, we have worked so much these past few months, we haven't even been able to get a weekend away. It's hard to believe the last time we were here was after Christmas for the new year," She said, "I'm definitely looking forward to going back again. It'll be nice to share it with the team."

"Yeah, it really will. They've all heard us talk so much about it and we have shown them loads of pictures but it'll be nice for them to experience it," He said, "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yeah, it was great. I'm so exhausted, honestly I am so glad that we have this whole week off. We really needed it," She replied, "I love you, you know that?"

Jay grinned, "I love you too," he said, giving her a kiss.

"Ugh you two better not do that all weekend. I don't want to be reminded of how single and alone I am," Adam grumbled, as he walked over to the bus.

"Single and alone? What happened to that girl you went out with the other night?" Antonio asked, "You said she was nice?"

Adam's eyes widened, "Shh. Don't talk so loud!" he whispered, nodding his head over to Kim.

"Adam, we haven't been together in what? 5 years? I think it's okay we see other people," Kim told him, patting him on his back and walking on to the bus.

Everyone laughed at Adam as they all got back on the bus, "This is gonna be a fun week," Kevin said, following behind Adam.

"How long do we have until we are there, Halstead?" Hank asked from his seat.

"I'd say about 45 minutes give or take a few. It's about 20 miles but some of the roads are very windy and narrow so it could take a while," Jay informed him as he put his sunglasses on and pulled out of the car park. Hank just nodded and went back to reading his newspaper.

An hour later, they arrived at Jay's family cabin, as everyone got out they were all amazed by what they saw, "Holy shit! You guys really held back on us! This place is huge!" Adam exclaimed, looking around.

"Yeah, this is pretty nice Halstead, is the lake part of your land too?" Al asked.

Jay shook his head, "No, not really. It's kind of shared between the few cabins that are located around it. No one out right owns it," he explained, grabbing his luggage from the bus. Everyone got their bags and walked inside the cabin.

"Okay, so here is the living room, Antonio - you'll be on the sofa bed," Jay informed him, "Don't worry, it's comfy I'm a function over form man. Okay, Hank and Al there's a room down that hall with two singles in unless you want the bunk beds?" Jay joked, and Hank just looked at him unimpressed, "Okay, you two are in there then. Upstairs has the big family bathroom and two more rooms - Kim you're in the double room, Kev and Adam you're in the bunk bed room."

"What?! Bunk beds?" Adam groaned.

"Sorry man, it's where me and Will used to sleep. We never saw the need to change the rooms so we just left them as they were. It's either that, the floor or you share the sofa bed with Antonio," Jay laughed.

"Alright, that actually makes sense. So where are you two sleeping then?" Adam asked.

Erin pointed down another hallway at the opposite end of the cabin, "Down there," she replied.

"Okay, why don't we all unpack our stuff - Antonio there is a dresser over there you can throw stuff in if you want - and then I'll show you all outside and we can just chill before dinner," Jay suggested.

Everyone nodded and headed to their rooms to unpack.

"Wow so this was Jay and Will's old room! Seems like it hasn't changed a bit. Oh my god look at these pictures!" Adam exclaimed, picking up a picture frame with pictures of Will and Jay as kids.

"Aww, wow. Halstead was a scrawny little kid wasn't he?!" Kevin laughed, pointing to a picture of Jay around 10 years old stood on the dock in his swim shorts.

"He really was," Adam replied, eyeing the pictures, "I can't wait to tease him about this. Although, I must admit this place is absolutely amazing!"

"Yeah, it really is," Kevin said as he looked out the window at the view of the lake.

The door burst opened and Kim walked in, "Wow this place is awesome! Have you seen the views?"

"Woah! Kim, you can't just burst in here! What if we were changing?!" Adam exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, it's nothing like I haven't seen before," She laughed, "Come on, let's go outside. It's sunny and I'm looking forward to going back to Chicago nice and tanned."

"I'm shocked you actually agreed to this Hank," Al said as he took a seat on his bed.

Hank looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing - taking a whole week off. And the second thing - agreeing to come up here with Halstead and the others. I'd have thought you'd have taken us to some random campsite for our 'team-building'," Al laughed.

"Halstead is a good kid. I know how much of a deal it was for him to invite us here. I can tell that it wasn't easy for him to have us all here. So, when he offered, I accepted," Hank explained, "Plus, we could've gone and had a week from hell camping in the woods in tents or we could have come here and had a bit of comfort. I also know how much Erin likes it here. Once again, she has never explicitly said as much but you've got to admit, they do seem much happier and somewhat lighter when they come back from a trip here."

"Yeah, they really do. It's nice to see it finally. I'm still shocked he managed to get Erin to come up here! She used to hate the outdoors - remember that time you and Camille took her and Justin camping?" Al laughed, "You said it was a weekend from hell!"

Hank smiled, "Yeah, she hated it. She was a hard ass but as soon as a creepy crawly came anywhere near her, she screamed. When we were there, there was no phone signal what so ever - Camille loved that. She liked how I was away from work without being tempted to call. Although, for Erin, it was the end of the world."

"I remember you coming home - none of you were talking to each other," Al laughed, "I'm still shocked Halstead got her to come here. Especially after what happened back then."

Hank just shrugged, "I think she only considered it because of him. If it had been any of her other boyfriends, she'd have laughed in their faces. I know I was against them at first, but I have to admit how good they are for one another. They've helped each other through so much shit and it seems that this cabin is a place where they come to sort through it. That's why I wasn't against it. We all need a break, it's been a rough few months and I think this is the place to be to help us all relax," He explained, "Come on, we should get out there and see what they're up to. I'm seriously looking forward to not having to worry about work this week."

He and Al left their bedroom and joined everyone on the back porch, which overlooked the lake, where Jay decided to give everyone the official tour of the cabin and the surrounding area.

It was late afternoon and everyone was sat outside around the fire pit and drinking beer, "Wow Jay, this place is honestly amazing. I can definitely see why you two love this place so much," Antonio said, looking out towards the lake, "It reminds me of a place me and Laura took the kids years ago. So did you come here a lot then as a kid?"

"Yeah, my nana and Grandad used to look after me, Will and our cousins every summer. Our parents couldn't get time off work and they didn't want us pissing about all summer on the streets and causing trouble, so we came here. I loved it. My grandad was amazing, he built onto the cabin so there was enough room for all of us to come and stay. He extended it on both sides. Originally, there was only the two bedrooms upstairs, but as the family grew, so did the cabin. He extended into what used to be an old workshop to create the master bedroom and bathroom, then extended onto the other side for my cousins to have their own room. They were my mom's parents, so she used to come up and stay for as long as she could during the summers, we loved it here. Honestly, this is my favourite place in the world. I'm glad you're all here to enjoy it with me," Jay said, taking a sip of his drink. He usually struggled talking about his past, but after all the issues he has had over the past few years, he understands that sharing things and talking openly is the best way to go. He still hasn't divulged too much of his past to anyone other than Erin, but he was slowly getting there.

"It's good to be here, Halstead," Al said, "We definitely needed this break and what better way to do it? In the middle of no where, no phone signal, no internet, no face chat or whatever it is, just us, the wild and booze. Perfect."

Everyone laughed, trust Al to make booze a main point in the week, "It should be a fun week. So, Halstead, seeing as you know everything around here, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Hank asked.

"Well, I was thinking of probably just sticking round here. Swimming, chilling and what not? The weather is going to be really hot tomorrow so the hike I was planning will not be a good idea, that'll be better the next day when the temps come down a bit. Plus we are all exhausted and I didn't think a hike through the woodlands and up through the hills would be such a good idea on our first proper day." Jay suggested.

Everyone nodded, "I can't wait for a day of doing nothing. Now how about we fire up the grill and cook the burgers? I'm starving!" Erin exclaimed.

Jay rolled his eyes, "You're always starving." Everyone laughed.

Erin hit him, "Shut up. Are you going to make the food or not?"

Jay shook his head, "Alright, alright, I can take a hint. I'll go and start the burgers." He said, as he got up to go and put the food on.

"I'll come and give you a hand," Antonio said, getting up and following Jay over to the grill.

Once the burgers were cooked, everyone ate and shared stories. "How did you get all this food here? I know we bought some with us but we didn't bring any meat or anything?" Hank asked.

Jay smirked, "I know a guy."

"Ah, one of your infamous guys. Who we never get to meet," Kevin said.

"You all met Mouse!" Jay laughed.

"So you have a tech guy, a meat guy… what other guys do you have?" Antonio asked.

"I have a tech guy, a car guy, a construction guy, an electrical installation guy - he's the one who installed our flatscreen a few years ago. No wires. He's a genius. I don't have a 'meat' guy, I have a Wisconsin guy, who I get to check up on the cabin, light the fires before we come up in winters and leave us some supplies so we don't have to venture into town when we get here. They're all either old army buddies, guys I knew from the academy or people I knew as a kid. I also have a couch guy," Jay informed them, Erin smirked at him at the mention of the couch guy.

"A couch guy?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, well he's a furniture guy but he got me a good deal on the couch a while back. So I call him the couch guy," Erin replied, knowing that Jay was thinking exactly the same thing as her.

"I also have a realtor guy, a suit guy, a bike guy and a travel agent guy. I'm probably forgetting someone but I have a lot of connections and they come in handy. I'm a cheap skate so I love not having to pay a lot of money for these kinds of things," Jay laughed.

"So, what do you two do when you're here anyway?" Kim asked.

"It's great coming here. We literally turn our phones off and keep them in the cabin at all times - a complete blackout. Apart from the landline that's in the cabin - but no one has ever needed to contact us." Erin replied.

"A complete blackout? What about the pictures you take?" Adam asked.

"Well Adam, there this is crazy invention called a camera! You know, something that takes pictures!" Erin laughed, rolling her eyes, " But anyway, we do a lot of swimming, hiking and a lot of relaxing. Jay also fishes sometimes, I usually just read or something while he does that. We go into town too to see some of the people who know Jay sometimes. We don't usually plan what we are going to do because it's nice just doing whatever when we are here. It's also amazing in winter. Apart from the extreme cold and the need for 15 layers to keep warm. But honestly it's so peaceful especially at New years. You can't hear a thing because of how remote it is."

"That sounds wonderful," Kim exclaimed.

"Yeah, it really is. We love it, don't we babe?" Erin asked Jay.

He nodded, "Yeah, it's great. At least you all now know why we love it here so much and why we try and get up here as often as possible."

Hank laughed, "It's funny though, never thought I'd see the day where Erin would come out to the country again! She hated it when we went camping once after she first moved in with us. Worst weekend ever."

"That's because we were sleeping in tents on the floor of the woods which were full of creepy crawlies! Camille hated it and even Justin wasn't impressed! We ended up leaving early and none of us were even talking to each other," Erin chuckled, "If you'd bought us to somewhere like this, I'm sure you wouldn't've been in the dog house. God, I miss them" She smiled, sadly. Thinking about Camille and Justin was hard for her. Jay knew this and placed his hand on her thigh and gently squeezed it.

"Me too, kid. Me too," Hank sighed, looking at his watch, "Okay, it's getting late, i'm going to go to bed. I'll see you all in the morning."

Everyone said goodnight and watched Hank retreat back into the cabin. Al also made his excuses and went inside to go to bed.

It was nearing 1:30 am and everyone was laughing, talking about Adam's mishaps with a woman called Megan in Molly's the week prior, "Seriously, you all knew she was dating Will and still let me try and hit on her?" He groaned.

"I did try to warn you, but you just ignored me and told me to stop acting jealous!" Kim laughed, "Besides, seeing Will come up to her and kiss her while you were trying it on was absolutely priceless!"

"Yeah, the Halstead bros definitely have a jealous streak," Kevin joked and everyone agreed.

"Hey! We don't! Anyway, Will didn't even realise Adam was hitting on her until I told him the next day, he thought he was just waiting at the bar for another drink," Jay grumbled, taking a swig of his beer.

"You really do have a jealous streak, Jay. Look at that officer you hit a couple of years ago for hitting on Erin!" Antonio pointed out.

"In Jay's defence, he deserved it. He wouldn't take no for an answer," Erin said, "He was really creepy and made me really uncomfortable. I repeatedly told him I was in a relationship and wasn't interested but he was persistent."

"It wouldn't have happened if Halstead made it known you were his girl from the get go. I swear, we used to even forget you were together!" Adam exclaimed.

"That makes no difference, Adam. Her saying 'no' should've been enough," Jay defended, "I most definitely wasn't jealous of that guy. I was extremely pissed off with him, there is a difference."

"Alright, alright we get it. That was definitely the wrong situation for a jealous Halstead brothers anecdote, I'm sorry," Antonio apologised, sensing Jay was getting annoyed.

"At least after that people in the district knew not to mess with either of you, so it kind of worked out well in the end," Adam said and everyone laughed - Jay too - because it was true. No one has tried to mess with either of them since.

The group continued talking and drinking for while before they finally gave in and went to bed. It had been an extremely long day and everyone was ready to sleep. They hadn't planned on staying up so late but when you're finally away from work and in a new environment it makes it easy to get lost in good conversation. Thankfully they had a light day ahead of them so it didn't matter if they slept in.

Erin got into bed and snuggled up to Jay and kissed his chest, "I'm really excited about this week," She mumbled into his skin.

He kissed the top of her head, "Me too, babe. Me too. I love you," He whispered, as he drew soothing patterns on her arm.

"I love you too," She murmured just as she was drifting off to sleep. Jay smiled to himself as he heard her breathing even out. This week was going to be great.

AN: Ok this is the first chapter -there will hopefully be around 8 (give or take)! I haven't written properly in years so ignore any crappy mistakes (also I'm dyslexic so I spell things wrong sometimes or use the wrong word without realising oops). Anyway, seeing as the whole world is basically self-isolating and social distancing (Please do your bit to safeguard others and yourselves!) - I've got some time on my hands so going to be writing more! I'm really excited to write this story - I've had the whole outline done for like a month and finally got my arse into gear to get writing! Hope you enjoy it! LEt us know what you thought :)