Archive of Our Own

"Hey, I love you," Will said pointedly as Jacey and Theo threw themselves out of the car to start towards the school.

"Yeah, love you," Jacey said, throwing it over her shoulder, but Theo continued without another word. He rolled his eyes at them and shook his head. Ever since they'd started at their new school together that September, they were so excited to get the day started. Theo climbed all over them in the morning to get them up. Connor was the first one usually up out of bed with them, and Will stumbled out as his husband started the coffee and breakfast for everyone. He loved that they were so excited for learning, but he really needed them to chill out in the morning. Although, he didn't want them to lose that excitement. It was a trade off, and he'd rather get woken up ungodly early than see his daughters hurt or their hearts darkened. 

He watched them go until they ducked into the school at the same time, and then he put the car in drive and pulled away from their school. He could still remember the first day he’d dropped Theo off at her pre-school, and had walked her into the room without crying, but had sobbed at work in Connor’s arms because his baby was grown up, and off in the world with people he couldn’t protect her from. Now, he couldn’t protect either of his girls in a world full of school shootings, bomb threats, serial killers, and so much worse, but at least his girls weren't afraid of the world yet. That would, inevitably, happen, but he was glad it could wait just one more day.

He drove to work, and parked in the employee lot right beside Connor's car. From where he was sitting in his own car still, he could see Jacey's favorite rock on the dash where he'd put it the night before when Connor had gotten them from school, and the sweater Theo had abandoned over the back of the front passenger seat, the little pink glitter on the collar sparkling in the morning light. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face, his family and their life together in a single frame, a single snapshot with everything he loved. He got out of the car and reached in to grab his jacket with his badge attached to the pocket, and then at the last minute reached in to grab the bracelet that Theo had made him out of the center console. 

“Halstead! We need you!” Maggie called from the parking lot entrance, drawing his attention back to work and what he was supposed to be doing. He rubbed his thumb over the yarn and beads, then slipped the bracelet on before he jogged into the entrance. Between patients, he adjusted the bracelet, and talked to his coworkers, and it was a normal day. Connor kissed him on his cheek at lunch, and talked to him about what they should do with the kids for the weekend. 

“Okay, I’m going to get the girls,” Will said, standing up from his chair. “I’ll be back. I have to drop them off with Mouse, and then I’ll be back to complete some paperwork.”

He set the tablet back on the charger and headed back to his locker to grab his wallet and keys. He didn't bother changing out of his scrubs, but he left his stethoscope in his locker. Instead, he pulled on a coat and headed out. Traffic was hellish around pick up time at the girls' school, and he arrived later than he meant to. Luckily, there was an after school program they attended, playing learning games with other kids in their grade and having a healthy afternoon snack, while they waited for their parents. He parked and got out, hurrying for the front office. 

"Hi, I'm here for Theo and Jacey Halstead-Rhodes," he said, leaning into the counter.

"Name," the secretary, an older lady whose desk tag announced as Charlene Brooks, stated more than asked.

"Will Halstead."

"One moment."

She checked her sheet, and said, "Theodora Halstead was already signed out at lunch, but Jacey is ready."

It took him a moment to process.

"I'm sorry, what?" 

"Theodora Halstead-Rhodes was signed out at lunch, at 11:02, by a, let me see here, Jay Halstead."

Jay usually told him when he was grabbing the girls, and he never only grabbed one. He didn't like to play favorites like that. It was either both or neither, so he couldn't imagine that Jay had actually taken just Theo. But he'd rather that than any alternative.

"Hold on," he said, stepping back and taking out his phone. He didn't have any notifications from Jay or Mouse, and he didn't have anything on his calendar. He dialed Jay's number and tried not to tap his foot as it rang. 

"Will?" 

"Jay! Hey! Quick question, uhm, do you have Theo?"

"What? No. I'm at work."

"And you didn't take her to Mouse or something at lunch?"

"No. Will, what's going on?"

"Her school is telling me she was signed out by you at lunch."

"No. No, that wasn't me. Someone took Theo?"

Will hung up and dialed Mouse next, even though he wouldn't sign her out with Jay's name. He'd sign Greg Gerwitz, since he had permission to pick them up, too, as their babysitter. 

"Hey Will, what's up? The door is unlocked, so -"

"Do you have Theo?"

There was a moment of quiet before Mouse said, "no. You were picking her up today." 

"Yeah, well, someone picked Theo up today, and it wasn't you, me, Jay, or Connor, so -"

"Okay, hold on, I think Jay is calling me. I'll head down to the district so we can put out an Amber Alert. Stay there. I'll send Jay to you with Hailey."

The line cut off, and Will held his phone in a tight grip. He felt numb, in disbelief that this was happening, that this could be happening.

"Daddy!" Jacey said, and Will dropped down as she ran into him so he could wrap her in his arms. At least she was safe, and here with him. He gripped her right and buried his face into her neck and let out a shaky breath. "Daddy?"

"Hey baby girl," he said, sitting back enough to brush his thumb over her cheek. "It's good to see you. Did you have a good day?" 

"Yeah! Where's Theo? I haven't seen her all day. We normally play at recess together, but she wasn't there. I asked Mrs. Phineas, but she said that I had to ask my mommy, which - I told her I have two daddies, and she got weird."

That, that he would have to deal with later, because he only had the mental capacity for one crisis at a time and a lunch monitor's homophobia was at the bottom of his list at the moment. 

"Mr. Halstead?" the secretary asked, and he stood up, keeping his hand wrapped around Jacey's, as he turned to look at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," he said, voice too low and angry, but the numbness was wearing away and he was left with fear and anger at this school for allowing this to happen. "My daughter is missing, and it's entirely your fault."

"Doctor Rhodes," one of the surgical nurses, Debbie, said, drawing his eyes up from the patient he was working on. "Your personal phone is ringing."

"Take a message."

She answered the phone and then paused. 

"Doctor Rhodes, it's Jay Halstead?"

"What's he want?"

"Uhm, he said it's about your daughter, Theo."

Connor looked at Ava and without a word, she took over as he stepped away. He stripped off his gloves and took the phone.

"Jay? What's going on?"

"Theo's missing."

There was some part of him that whispered that he should have stepped outside and continued the conversation in private, to save face, to keep the whispers to a minimum. But this was his daughter. 

“What do you mean Theo’s missing ?” he asked.

There was a quiet pause around him, but he was more focused on Jay’s voice through the line.

“Someone used my name to sign her out of school,” Jay said, and the buzzing in his ears grew. “We’re contacting everyone who might know to use my name, and we’re going through security footage, but - if you can come home, Will needs you.”

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way. Thank you, Jay."

"Connor," Jay said, and the evenness of his tone was settling. "We're going to find her, okay? Take a deep breath, and drive safe."

"Yeah. Yeah, I will."

He hung up and looked up at Ava who nodded him out of the OR without a word. That was the only response he needed, and he was out of the OR and through the hospital without stopping. He couldn't stop. He couldn't, not when their daughter, sweet, chatty, intelligent Theo, was in trouble. He hadn't been in her life since birth, and he hadn't seen her as a cute little baby, but his heart lived in her, and Jacey, just the same. 

He couldn't imagine what Will was feeling, all anxiety and fear, hoping that the baby he'd brought home and cared for for years, loved so fiercely he'd rather lose his own happiness, hoping that she would come home to them. There was a police car outside of their apartment, and he swore he recognized it, but he couldn't linger to figure it out. 

The elevator ride took forever.

The steps between the elevator lobby to their door were far too many.

When he let himself through the front door, where there was usually a sense of welcoming and safety, it was cold. 

"Will?" he called out, and then, there he was. His hair was wild, lost all sense of styling from his hands running through it, and his eyes even moreso. Connor crossed the entryway and grabbed his husband in a hug. It was tight, and firm, and not enough. He couldn't convey how scared he was, and he couldn't convey the kind of comfort he wanted to, not when he himself was unsure of how this was all going to turn out. "I'm here. I'm here, baby."

"Papa!"

He ducked down to swipe up Jacey as she appeared, and lifted her up into his arms between them.

"I'm scared, Papa," she said softly, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Where's Theo?"

"I don't know, baby, but Uncle Jay and Uncle Mouse will bring her home, okay? They're really good at what they do."

He kissed Jacey's temple and then carried her, with his free hand on Will's arm to guide him along, into the living room. Kim and Adam were waiting for them, sitting on the couch, clearly waiting on word from someone at the district. Connor eased himself, with Jacey in his lap, onto the couch across from the detectives. Will stayed standing for a moment, before sinking beside him with all of the world's weight bearing on him. Connor could understand. It was hard to breathe, let alone comprehend what was going on. All he could do was hold what family he could, the family in reach, and pray to something he didn’t even believe in that what was lost would return to them.

Mouse hadn’t moved, Jay was sure, sorting through cameras, searching for Theo’s face. The school’s cameras were garbage, and barely showed anything. They could only tell it was Theo in the office because of how familiar she was to them. They had seen her grow up from a small infant, holding her and watching her grow from a bundle wrapped in soft blankets to a toddling, jabbering mess, to a strong-willed, intelligent little girl. They would know her round cheeks and big brown eyes anywhere, the little brown hair held in delicate, curling pigtails. 

“Mouse,” Jay said, touching his shoulder. He leaned into it, welcoming the touch, but his eyes did not turn away as he tried to find the face of the woman who had taken their girl. She was tall, and thin, but her face was always ducked away from the camera, obscured by a baseball cap, or just distorted enough that they couldn’t identify her. 

“I can’t,” Mouse said. “I can’t leave yet. There’s something here. I can, I can find her.”

“I know, but you haven’t eaten yet today.”

Mouse gestured to a bag of open jelly beans on his desk as if to answer him.

"Those don't count."

"They count enough today."

With Connor's wealth, and Will's past history with the Burkes, they couldn't quite nail down a single suspect to look into. They'd known enough to sign her out as J. Halstead, since Jay was one of her authorized pick-ups, and they'd clearly counted on the slight confusion of his first name being doubled with the letter. 

"I'm sending the screenshot to Will and Connor. I know it's not much," Jay said, trying to ease the rigid line of Mouse's shoulders. "But maybe they'll be able to get something we can't."

"It's nothing, Jay. Who's going to recognize a chin ?"

"Mouse," Jay said, crouching down beside him. "I know you're worried. I'm worried, too. But I'm not the enemy here."

Mouse sighed and looked at him, his blue eyes crystalline with tears. 

"What if we can't find her, Jay? What if our girl never comes home?"

Jay pulled him off the chair and into his arms, and Mouse fell into him, wrapping himself into the embrace. He sunk his hands into Mouse's hair and carded his fingers through it, over and over, just to soothe him. It also worked to soothe himself, a reminder that they were there together, and going through this side by side. They had things to do, leads to follow, information to gather, all to find Theo and bring her back safely, but for a moment, just a moment, Jay held Mouse in his arms and they let themselves feel the fear. Theo had been three months old when Will had brought her home, and her personality and presence in their life had already been out in full force. Now, it was hard to believe that anyone would want to hurt her, or that they may never see her again. 

As if the same thought crossed their minds, they sat back, determination blazing fresh inside of them.

"Call Will," Mouse said. "I have an idea."

Will watched the monitor, not quite sure what he was looking for. Mouse was clicking so fast, flipping from feed to feed, that he couldn't keep up. He wasn't sure what he was there for. They'd told him he needed to come down to the district to assist the investigation, but he wasn't sure how much help he could be. Watching the feeds made him feel worse, if anything, because the world was so big, there was so much to see, and they were looking for one little girl in a city of millions. Then, Mouse made a noise and paused a video.

" There . Do you recognize her?"

There was a woman on the black and white footage, and beside her, a young girl with her hair in a braid, wearing the same overalls and floral top she'd left the car that morning wearing. Will couldn't look away from the girl, his daughter, the last sighting they'd found from the L terminal. Then, after a moment, he looked at the woman. 

Her face wasn't entirely obscured, but he didn't need it to be. He knew that face, even years later. She was obviously older, but it looked good on her. Her brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun, a few pieces fallen from it and framing her face. She was wearing a nice button down shirt and form-fitting jeans. But he knew her face, because he'd seen it in his daughter everyday for six years.

"Motherfucker," he cursed, the word spit out like venom, and Mouse looked at him with surprised eyes.

"That's a yes, then, I'll take it."

"Yeah, I recognize her. The last time I saw her, she had made a bottle for Theo before her afternoon nap, right before she walked out on us."

"So that's," Mouse said, trailing off, seemingly unable to say the words.

"Yeah, that's Theo's mom."

 He could still remember the day Julie came over to his apartment in New York, the one they practically shared already, with a smile. Even after a long day at work, she was perfectly made up, not a hair out of place, her blazer unrumpled and her shirt unstained. Will never looked that good, not in a suit and tie, not in his scrubs, nothing. But to Julie, appearance meant everything. Her reputation was dependent on how people viewed her, so she had to be presentable at all times. 

"Hey babe, I have something to tell you. Can you sit down?"

He'd sat down at the breakfast table in the kitchen, and Julie had sat across from him. There was something different about her, despite the presentation she made of herself, and he looked her over carefully, trying to figure it out.

"What's going on?"

"I have some news. Some very special news. Uhm. Don't freak out, though."

"I won't."

"I'm pregnant," she had said and he swore his vision almost whited out. 

Pregnant . She was pregnant, with a baby, his baby, that they were having together. He had no business having a baby during his residency, but he didn't really have a choice, he supposed. Not now. She was pregnant. 

The moment he’d held their little girl, this pink, squirmy bundle whose cries could tear down buildings, he couldn’t imagine anything better. It didn’t matter if he was already run down from working double shifts, running himself ragged to please his attendings. It didn’t matter that he could barely afford their one-bedroom New York City apartment on his salary on top of paying his student loans back. It didn’t matter. Work could be the absolute worst, his attendings miserable, but as long as he got to come home to her cute little face and toes and itty bitty fingernails, he could survive anything.

Of course, he could also still remember the day she left. It had started like any other day with their newborn, with a diaper change and a feeding. Julie had no interest in breastfeeding, because she didn’t like the thought of it or having to pump breast milk, so they fed Theo formula. She had made Theo a bottle, slightly too hot for Theo to take safely, and had said she was going to nap because she was exhausted. Even now, Will couldn't quite understand how that could be, considering he was the one who had gotten up with the baby every hour overnight, and he was the one changing her diapers, and he was the one bathing her. But he let Julie slip into the bedroom while he swayed with Theo in his arms to keep her from screaming for her dinner while it cooled down. He fed her in the rocking chair he’d bought for Julie while she was pregnant, talking to her gently. It was the only thing that had made Julie comfortable towards the end, the motion of it gliding back and forth soothing Theo enough so she could fall asleep, and it was the only thing that had made Theo happy sometimes. 

“Oh, are you getting sleepy?” he had asked as Theo’s eyes started to blink slowly during her burps. “Are we getting sleepy, future historian? Me too, honestly. Let’s take a N-A-P. I’m afraid if you hear me say it, you’ll wake up, so we’re going to just let you N-A-P, okay?”

He moved carefully to the couch, and lay back with Theo cuddled against his chest. Napping with Theo was the best time of day, her warm body lulling him to sleep with his hand on her back to keep her from moving. When he woke up, though, Theo was fussing on his belly, and there was a note on the coffee table, tucked underneath the empty bottle he’d left there.

I’m sorry, I can’t do this. You’ll do so much better than I ever could. Don’t come looking for me. -J

He’d wanted to scream and rage, because he was due back at work in a few weeks at the end of his paternity leave, and he had no idea how he was supposed to be a dad and a doctor and alone . When she had told him about Theo in the first place, he was sure he’d have her there with him. It was a great image for her, a loving family, a little girl who looked up to her, a doting boyfriend-maybe-husband. 

So, he’d returned home, which had sent them on this path, had sent them here. He was sitting in the bullpen at the district at Jay’s desk as they talked about Julie.

“Okay, Julie Waters, 34 years old, born in Las Vegas, Nevada, currently lives in New York City and works as a real estate agent,” Mouse said, reading from a file he’d pulled. “She has a few misdemeanors on her record from college, petty theft, possession, trespassing. Nothing that she did any time for. She is also Theo’s mom, apparently, and took Theo from the school at 11:02 this morning, signing her out as J Halstead. We’ve tracked her to their last known location, which was the L terminal getting on the northbound red line, identified in this security image.”

Mouse tapped the photo of Julie, and Will was staring at it where she was clutching Theo’s arm hard. He wanted to jump into the photo like some old school kid’s show and rip her hand from Theo’s arm. He wanted to sweep Theo up into his arms where she was safe, and loved, and cared for. He wanted to kiss all over her perfect face, and remind her that no one should ever touch her like that, and he wanted, not for the first time, to scream. 

“We set the amber alert and updated it with Julie’s driver’s license photo, as well as where she was last seen,” Hailey said, sitting on the desk beside Jay, a united front as partners on the case. “Burgess is with Connor at home in case there’s any contact there, and we have uniforms patrolling L terminals and canvassing the most commonly traveled areas to see if anyone has information for us.”

“We don’t know if Julie means Theo any harm,” Jay said, and he glanced at Will as he spoke. “Julie hasn’t seen Theo since she was a month old, so we don’t have any information on her intent. We will use extreme caution when she is located to be safe.”

Will swallowed thickly. He shouldn’t be here. They should be at home, cooking dinner, while Jacey and Theo complete worksheets at the dinner table, Kol asleep at their feet. They should be going about their normal routine, Connor singing along to the radio while Will tries to keep up with the recipe, Connor putting his hands over Will’s as he showed him, again, how to correctly chop an onion without cutting himself. They should be home , and they should be together . It wasn't right that they were separated, Connor and Jacey in their home with Will at the district, and Theo out somewhere in the world where they couldn't protect her. 

“We’ll find her,” Voight said, and he was speaking to Will. He didn’t have a lot of experience with Hank Voight, a few passes over the years, and he didn’t usually feel particularly safe around him. But if there was one man he wanted on the team looking for his daughter, he wanted it to be Hank Voight. He had a reputation of no mercy, of not playing by the rules, and that was exactly what Will needed right now. “We will bring her home, and there’s nowhere in this city she can hide that we won’t find her. I promise, Halstead.”

Mouse had a name. He had an identity. He had a face. He could find anyone with the right information, and that meant that he could find them. He could find Theo, and he could bring her home. It didn’t matter how long it took, and how many illegal avenues he had to take, he was going to hunt Julie to the ends of the earth. 

“Any luck?” Jay asked. 

“Yeah,” Mouse said. “I got into Julie’s bank account, and I’m just tracking her recent transactions now.”

“Any ideas where they’re pointing?”

“Her bank account is a mess. I have no idea what this even means - look at this, though. She made a mobile deposit of fifteen thousand on Friday, right? Withdraws it on Monday. The check fully bounces on Tuesday. Okay, so, it looks like a fraudulent check at that point, and the bank put a hold on her account. Then, it’s all cleared up by a bank correction? It seems so weird. But, okay. Recently, in the last thirty-six hours, she does not exist. She hasn’t spent any money. I cannot even find how she got from New York City to Chicago. She just, she was there, and now she’s here. It’s weird.”

“If she took out fifteen thousand dollars on Monday, that would make sense.”

“Yeah, but there’s usually some sort of paper trail. There’s no car registered in her name, so she would’ve had to rent a car or fly, but there’s no trail there. She could have borrowed a car, but if she’s staying somewhere in town, in a hotel or airbnb, any of that would have been in her name.”

“Maybe it’s registered under someone else’s name? A friend, something?”

“Probably,” Mouse sighed. “If it’s under someone else’s name then I have no way of knowing where they’re going, or - wait. Hold on.”

He flicked through his screens until he found the frame of Julie at the L station terminal. This was from earlier in the day, before she’d grabbed Theo, and she was getting a fare card from one of the vending machines there where she paid with a credit card, clearly swiping the card through the reader on the side of the machine.

“I might have something. Give me a minute, and - uh, can you get me something to drink, actually?”

“Of course. Water? Energy drink?”

“Just water, actually. I should be okay with just that.”

Jay leaned over and kissed Mouse on the top of the head.

“Get her, baby,” he muttered, and Mouse leaned into the touch, closing his eyes before Jay slipped away, leaving him to work. 

Will didn't want to leave the district, even though he should, even though he probably needed to sleep, even though he definitely needed to sleep, actually. He'd barely eaten any of the burger and fries Jay had had delivered for them, too stressed and anxious to eat more than a couple small bites. 

"Hey, call Connor," Jay said, nudging him as he took the box of dinner away, long since cold. "Let him know what's going on."

"Jay," he sighed. "What am I going to tell him? We still don't know where our daughter is, and it's my crazy ex who took her? Sure, that will help."

"He deserves to know what we know. She may be your ex but her taking Theo isn't your fault. And his voice will probably help. I know being around Mouse right now is helping me. Just a thought."

Will looked at his brother's back as he headed for the break room with the trash. He took out his phone and called Connor.

"Hey!" Connor answered quietly, and his voice was barely a whisper but it was enough. "Sorry, hold on, I just got Jacey down. One second."

There was a minute of shuffling and silence before Will could hear the latch of a door, and Connor's breath.

"Okay, hey baby, I'm here. What's going on? Did you find her?"

"No," Will said. "I just, I needed to hear your voice."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's good. I needed to hear yours, too. How are you?"

"Well, not great . I know if anyone can find her, it's Jay's unit, and Mouse. But - it's Julie, Connor. Julie took Theo."

"Julie? Her mother?"

"Yeah. She apparently found out where Theo goes to school somehow and knew that I'd have Jay as an authorized pick-up, and - we still don't know where she is, or what she wants. But the footage -" his voice broke and he buried his face in the hand not holding the phone. "Theo looks so scared. She looks terrified , Connor, and I can't - I can't do anything. I'm just sitting here hoping they'll bring her home, but I barely knew Julie while we were dating. We were together for barely a year when she left. What am I -"

"Hey, baby. Baby. Breathe for me, okay? Take a deep breath in, nice and slow. There we go, okay. Good job. And let it out slowly. Yeah. Yeah, okay. Keep breathing. I love you, I love you so much, and you are doing exactly what you need to do. Let the unit do their jobs. Let them find Theo, and be there when they bring her home. That's all you need to do."

"It's so hard."

"I know," he assured him quietly. "I know. But you are doing everything you need to do."

"I want to cry."

"I know. Me too."

Will heard a noise and glanced up as Hailey let herself back into the bullpen.

“I should go.”

"Just keep breathing, okay? You and Theo will be home with us before you know it."

"I love you."

"I love you, sunshine."

He hung up reluctantly, but Jay had been right; Connor's voice was exactly what he needed. 

Mouse burst into the intelligence unit area just as the sun was starting to rise the next morning, carrying his printouts. Will was curled up in a chair against Jay's desk, a blanket draped over his shoulders, clearly from the break room couch. 

"I know where they are," he said loudly enough to startle the team and Will awake, even as he was almost out of breath from taking the steps two at a time on the way up. He'd nearly knocked over Sergeant Platt on her way in, apologizing profusely even as he didn't stop. He was sure that the Team Mom would understand that he had to forsake politeness for the safety of his niece. "I found them. Julie's got everything registered under her roommate, Tyler Washington, the rental car, the debit card, even the hotel room."

Will leaned forward.

“She’s still in Chicago, then?”

“She is. I’ve got the address.”

“Will, you’ll need to stay here,” Jay said, standing up with everyone else at the same time. “We’ll get her and bring her home.”

“I just have to sit here and wait?”

“Yeah, sorry, bud. It’s a liability if you get hurt. So, you’ll have to stay. I’m sorry. I’ll bring her right to you. You know I will. I promise,” Jay said. He gripped Will’s shoulder, and Will reached up to grab his wrist for support. They held onto one another for a moment before Jay released him. “Mouse, are you coming with?”

“I am,” Mouse said, and he looked at Will. They didn’t have to say anything, just nodding at each other, and the team headed out, leaving Will in the intelligence bullpen alone. He felt bad, of course, but Jay was right that they couldn’t take Will with them. They barely should be taking Mouse, but he also wasn’t going to wait for Voight to give him permission. “Okay, it’s an airbnb on the northside. I’ve sent the address to all of you. I definitely didn’t hack into a nearby surveillance system, and definitely did not see Theo and Julie go in last night, alone, and they haven’t come out as far as I could see.”

“Mouse, you have to stay in the car,” Jay said. “I will bring her right out, while the rest of the team handles Julie and the actual arrest, but just in case, you have to stay in the car.”

“How can I -”

“Mouse, promise,” he said. 

Mouse sighed, and nodded. He could take care of himself, having seen more than enough combat to last him a lifetime, so he didn’t want to wait in the car like a child, but he didn’t want Theo to get hurt in some way because of him even more. 

“I promise, but you had better bring her out first thing , Jay.”

“I will.”

The airbnb was a single level home in a quiet neighborhood, and the lights were all off as the caravan of the unit’s cars pulled up. Usually, it would only take one or two of them for something like this, but they had all, with the exception of Hailey, known Theo since she was three months old. They had seen her grow up, from a baby strapped to Mouse’s chest to a toddling ball of energy to a little girl with a big imagination. They were her family, her aunts and uncles, and it was a group decision that they were all working this case until she was brought home. 

Jay parked and looked at Mouse in the passenger seat of the truck, fidgeting nervously. He leaned over before he could stop himself, and kissed him.

“I’ll be right back. You have my word.”

Jay got out of the truck, leaving Mouse behind, and convened with the rest of the unit. 

"Halstead, Upton, you two go through the front. Burgess and Ruzek, the back. The rest of us will stay out here and control the scene. There's no need to overwhelm Theo, and it'll be safer if we're not all in the house. And Halstead?" Voight said before the team broke apart.

"I'm just there to get Theo, I know."

"Good. Now go."

They split up as ordered, Hailey at Jay's side. Hailey knocked and called out that they were the Chicago PD, before they forced the door open. They moved quickly, clearing the rooms, watching each other's backs, until they came to the bedroom in the back corner. He could hear a sad crying noise from inside, muffled enough to break his heart. He pushed open the door while Hailey headed in, gun raised and ready. 

"Julie Waters, Chicago PD, hands up," Hailey spat out and Jay ducked into the room after her. Julie was sitting on the bed, hands raised, wearing a pair of pajamas, eyes sleepy and confused. "Where's Theo?"

"Theo?" she echoed. 

"Theo, are you in here?" Jay called, and he heard her voice, calling back for him. He followed it to the side of the room and the closet door. He knelt down as he opened it, gun away so he didn't scare him. And there, tucked in the back of the closet, was Theo.

She had pushed herself into the far corner, trembling, knees pulled up to her chest. There wasn't any kind of bedding or cushion on the floor for her, the hardwood flooring underneath her chilly to the touch. She was wearing the same outfit she'd been wearing to school that day, but her braid had mostly come undone, and she'd clearly wet herself in the last hours. 

"Hey baby girl, can you come here? I'm gonna get you out of here."

"Jay," she said and she dissolved into tears. He shuffled forward on his knees into the closet and scooped her up into his arms. She latched on, and he held her tight. 

"I've got you, teddy bear. I've got you now."

Behind him, he could hear Hailey reading Julie her rights, the cuffs clicking on her, but he couldn't care, rocking Theo in his arms to soothe her, just like he had since she was a baby.

"She's my daughter, this is ridiculous," Julie said as Jay stood up. He had to get her to Mouse and then back to the district. "You can't arrest me for taking my daughter. I gave birth to her. She's mine ."

"Not according to the state of Illinois," Kim said before Jay left with Theo, still crying in his neck. He could feel the wet denim of her overalls against his hands where he was holding her, and his first priority when he got her back to the district would be getting her changed into something dry and clean. He doubted she'd had anything to eat either, if Julie had neglected to take her to the bathroom either. 

"You're safe. We're going to the district, okay? Uncle Mouse is gonna sit with you in the back of the truck, and we're going straight there. And Daddy's waiting for you. You're safe now, Theo. You're safe."

Theo's cries broke his heart, scared and inconsolable, and he just rubbed her back as he carried her through the house, escorted by Ruzek to make sure they got out safe. Mouse was out of his seat and headed right to them as soon as the door to the house opened, as if he had been poised to spring out. They nearly collided, Mouse coming to wrap his arms around the other side of Theo, two shields protecting her. 

"Hey sweet thing," Mouse cooed at her, pressing kisses into her back and shoulder. "You're safe. Your family is here. We’re here, baby. We’re here.”

“We’re going to get into the car,” Jay said, “and we’re going to take you to your dad.”

He eased Theo into Mouse’s arms reluctantly, and kissed her on the temple. 

“Hey baby girl,” Mouse said, cradling her close. “Hey, you’re alright. We’re here. I’m sorry it took so long, but we’re here now.”

She couldn’t respond, whimpering and whining into his shoulder quietly. In all of their years they’d known Theo, she wasn’t typically a crier. She would get upset, sure, but it was easy to ease her mind. She needed a cuddle and a kiss on the forehead, and if she was really upset, she’d need something sweet and a blanket wrapped around her. He had never seen her this inconsolable, this distraught. Every last piece of him shattered, watching Mouse climb into the backseat of the truck, still holding Theo against him. Jay helped him buckle them both in, even though this wasn’t technically legal or safe. It was better than putting her down and her thinking that she was going to get taken again. Mouse held her, and Jay closed the door behind them. 

He climbed into the front seat, and started up the truck, turning on the heat so Theo could be warm. He had a clean change of clothes for her, and Jacey, stored in his desk at work, just in case anything happened. Over the truck’s engine, he could hear Mouse singing softly, and in the rearview mirror, see the soft sway of his body to the song he’d chosen. It was a nonsense song, gentle and kind, a lullaby for her stress.

He made sure to drive carefully to keep them both safe, and when he pulled into the district parking lot, he parked and turned in his seat.

“Hey, we’re here, baby. Do you want to go see Daddy?”

The nod she gave into Mouse’s was almost imperceptible, but her hair bobbed against her back. He climbed out and opened the door to the back of the truck, helping Mouse out of the seatbelt first and then the truck, both of them making sure not to jostle Theo or hit her head. He led the way into the district, and upstairs into the intelligence bullpen. 

“Oh! Theo!” 

Will was up out of his seat before they were all the way through the door, looking at them with relieved eyes. 

“Daddy,” she said, sitting up off of Mouse’s chest towards Will’s voice. “Daddy!”

He crossed the room in big steps, and scooped his baby girl out of Mouse’s arms and into his own. She was warm, and trembling, and she felt so small in his grasp where she’d once felt too big. He cuddled her into him and felt the tears well up in his eyes. He was so afraid to cry while she was out in the world, like that meant he was mourning her already, but now that she was here, relief flooded through him and he felt free.

“I was scared,” Theo whined. “I wanted to go home. I wanted to go home, and she wouldn’t let me.”

“I know. I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. You’re home now, though. You’re with me.”

He clutched her to him, and he knew that it was probably too tight, but he couldn’t let her go, not yet. Not yet. She gripped his scrubs and leaned into his chest without complaining. It seemed that she was just as happy to have him as he was to have her. From day one, it was Will and Theo, even when they’d come home to Chicago, even when they’d moved in with Connor. They were a pair, and he was so incredibly glad to have her back in his arms. 

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she muttered into his neck. 

“What are you sorry for?” he asked.

“I had an accident,” she said. 

“You did?”

“She wouldn’t let me go potty.”

“Okay,” he said. “That’s not your fault.”

He turned to Jay, who was at his desk, pulling a small bag out of his drawer and setting it on the top. 

“I’ve got clean clothes for her already. I noticed she was wet when I got her up.”

“Thanks, Jay. For everything.”

Will grabbed the clothes on his way through to the bathroom, and set Theo down on the ground. Her shoes were gone, he noticed, and she was only wearing one sock which was clearly dirty. He knelt down, and held her face in his hands to inspect her.

“Did she hurt you?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” she mumbled. She lifted her arm to show him her upper arm. He’d seen the video, Julie gripping her arm right there like iron. “It hurts.”

“Do you want me to kiss it better?”

She nodded.

“Okay, here I come.” 

He ducked his head and kissed her arm, right where he’d seen Julie’s thumb. She giggled and leaned over to kiss his forehead in return.

“Thanks, Daddy.”

“Okay, let’s get you out of these clothes and into these new ones Jay got you.”

He helped her out of her clothes carefully, tossing them into the trash can, and then into her new ones. It was a very Jay-type outfit, with a Chicago Bears t-shirt and a pair of soft gray jogger sweatpants, and it included brand new socks, underwear, and a pair of sneakers. It all matched, which meant that Jay did not have Mouse help. 

“There we go, that’s much better, huh,” he said, fixing the bottom of her shirt. 

“Thank you,” she said.

“Remember to say thank you to Uncle Jay and Uncle Mouse, too,” he said, poking the end of her cute little nose. “Alright, come on, baby. Let’s go talk to everyone, okay?”

She nodded, and he stood up, walking her out of the bathroom by the hand. Her hand was so small in his own. Hailey was sitting in her seat, and she waved Will over, so he guided her over to the desk and helped her up into the chair that Hailey had set there for her.

“Hi Theo,” she said softly. “I have some questions for you, okay? I just need to know what happened, and then you and Daddy can go home. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Good. Can you tell me what happened yesterday when Julie picked you up from school?”

“The teacher said Jay was there to pick me up,” she said, “but she wasn’t Jay. She - I don’t know who she was. She kept saying she was my mommy, and I told her I don’t have a mommy, I only have a daddy and a papa, but she wouldn’t listen. She grabbed me really hard and took me out of the school, and we didn’t stop anywhere for a really long time, just kept riding the trains for a really, really long time. I had to go, and I was so hungry, but she wouldn’t stop.”

“Oh, are you hungry?” Hailey asked. 

"Yeah."

"Well, I happen to have a granola bar right here for you to snack on. It's your favorite. Peanut butter."

"Oh! Yes, please." 

Hailey pulled a wrapped granola bar out of her top desk drawer and passed it over to Theo who ripped open the packaging and shoved a big bite of it into her mouth.

"What do we say?" Will prompted after Theo had chewed the bite. 

"Thank you, Aunt Hailey," she said. 

"Oh, you're welcome, sweetie."

Hailey waited until Theo had finished her snack before she continued. 

"Okay, so, she took you to the trains and you rode it for a long time. What happened next?"

"We got off the train and she put me in a car. It was dark outside, and cold. Really cold. We went to the house, and she told me I had to go to bed. 'Cept I didn't get a bed. I had to go in the closet. It was really scary."

"I bet. But you were so brave, sweetie. Was there anyone else? Did you hear or see anyone else?"

"No, it was just her. She got pizza, I could smell it, but she didn't share."

"Okay. That's really good, baby. Thank you. Can you think of anything else?"

Theo shook her head and then stopped.

"She talked to someone on her phone. A man. He was yelling."

"Do you remember what they talked about?"

"No," Theo said. "She called him, uhm, what was it? Mister, Mister B. Or something like that."

"That's so good, baby. So good. You're all set. But if you remember anything else, you tell Daddy or Papa, okay?"

"Okay."

"Thank you, Theo."

"She wouldn't call me Theo," she said suddenly, and Will let out a slow breath. "She called me Theodora like I was in trouble."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That must have been very scary," Hailey said, leaning down to Theo's level. "But you were very good, and very brave, and we're all very happy to see you home."

"I missed you, Aunt Hailey," Theo said. 

"I missed you, too, munchkin. Can I get a hug?"

"Yeah!"

Theo threw herself out of her own chair and then up into Hailey's, scrambling like a monkey to where she wanted to be. All Theo really had to know, Will noticed, was that Jay trusted someone, and she adopted that person as an aunt or uncle. Will hadn't realized Mouse and Jay brought Theo to the district on their days off until she was old enough to talk and told him stories about Uncle Adam and Aunt Kim. He was glad that they adored her, of course, because she deserved all of the love the world could spare, but he wasn't exactly happy that his daughter was regularly in a police station. 

"You guys are free to go. I'll call you if anything comes up, but we have all the evidence we need against Julie," Hailey said, speaking over Theo's head to Will. "And you know how to reach us if Theo needs anything, or if anything else comes up."

"Okay. Uhm. Can I talk to you privately?" 

"Of course," she said, and she eased Theo back. "I've got a candy bar in my desk with your name on it."

"You do ?"

Hailey pulled open her top drawer and pulled out a chocolate bar that literally said Theo in a fancy script across the top. 

Theo gasped and reached excitedly for it before she stopped and said, "is it for me?"

"It is ! You gotta sit in your seat to eat it while Daddy and I talk over there. We'll be within sight, just call if you need anything."

Hailey lifted her into her own seat and kissed her on the forehead, then stood up. Will followed Hailey over to where Jay and Mouse were sitting, discussing the case softly so Theo couldn't overhear them. 

"I appreciate everything you guys have done," Will said. "There's no way I can repay you for this, but - do I have to be worried that there's someone else out there? This Mister B guy?"

"We're looking into any connections Julie has to make sure, but I'm not sure this was just a woman wanting her child back," Jay said carefully, and Will closed his eyes to let out a breath. 

"What do you mean?"

"There's been some suspicious activity in the last few weeks, and there's a warrant out for her arrest in New York in connection to a very similar situation."

Will gripped a chair so hard that the plastic creaked underneath his hands. 

"So, what do you recommend? How do we keep Theo safe? And Jacey?"

"We've already had a talk with the school that they need to be double checking identity during pick-ups, and they are aware of the ramifications otherwise," Jay said. "You already have a doorman in your apartment building. You're doing everything you need to in order to protect the girls, Will."

"That's what scares me the most," Will said. "This happened while we were taking precautions. This happened when she was supposed to be completely safe at school."

Jay stepped up to him and took his shoulders in his hands, squeezing to comfort him. 

"Julie is in custody. Any connections she has are in New York, and we have contacts there in the NYPD who are running down information we sent them. Whatever is going on, you don't have to worry about it anymore. The threat is gone. She's safe ."

Will rested his forehead against Jay's and sighed, lifting his hands to hold him by the elbow. 

"There's some paperwork," Mouse said, pulling Will's attention, "sorry. I need some signatures so we can officially release Theo from our custody to you. Can you come down to the front desk with me? Jay and Hailey will stay up here with Theo and keep an eye on her."

"Yeah, okay."

He glanced over at Theo, happily munching on a chocolate bar, a smear of melted chocolate across one cheek already, before he nodded, and followed Mouse out of the bullpen and downstairs. Sergeant Platt was at the desk with an officer, and looked up as they entered. 

"Ahh, there he is. Come to apologize."

"Sorry, Sarge. There was a little girl in danger. Theo, actually."

Platt's eyebrows raised quickly and glanced at Will. 

"Is she alright?"

"She is," Will said. "She's upstairs right now being spoiled. She's a little shook up, but I didn't really expect anything else, if I'm honest."

"Of course. Well, if she needs anything , you just give us a call. We all love that little girl. We'd do anything for her."

"Thanks, Sergeant Platt."

"You can call me Trudy, Will."

He smiled at her, and she nodded before she looked at Mouse with a serious face. 

"You still have to call me Sergeant, especially because you ran me over earlier."

"I'm sorry, Sergeant. It won't happen again."

"It had better not," she said, but there wasn't anything mean or aggressive in her voice. It was fond, like a mother speaking to her child. "Now, what are you doing at my desk?"

"I need release paperwork so Theo can be taken home out of our custody," Mouse said. "Please. And thank you."

She nodded and ducked her head to sort through some papers behind her desk. There was a moment before she found it, and passed it over the desktop to Mouse. 

“You know the drill,” she said. 

“Yes, ma’am.”

Will glanced up and around the lobby of the district, just as Kim and Adam were escorting Julie in. She looked angry, which he supposed anybody would when their wrists were clasped in handcuffs. He stood against the desk, and looked at her for a moment before her eyes turned up to meet his. She was wearing extremely nice pajamas which were clearly rumpled, and her hair was half up and half down, the little wispy hairs in her face. Beyond that, though, she looked nearly the same. Her face had slimmed out again, the pregnancy that had filled out the usual angles of her cheekbones and jawline long since gone. Her eyes narrowed at him, taking in all the differences in him since they'd seen each other last. He wondered what she saw, if it was the longer hair, the scruff he’d let grow out, the laugh lines he’d noticed were growing deeper every day, or his wedding ring. 

“There’s that piece of shit ,” Julie spit, and lunged towards Will as if she could break free of her restraints and Adam’s hold. “You took, you took my daughter !”

“Oh, fuck off,” Will scoffed. “You left your daughter.”

“I left because you were neglecting me!

“Neglecting you! I was taking care of our child, which you refused to do! I was being the parent to her that you should have been, so I didn’t have time to neglect you. I didn’t even have time to neglect myself. She was the only thing that mattered.”

“I just wanted to be her mom,” Julie hissed.

“You were not being her mom when you took her out of school in the middle of her day! You were not being her mom today at all,” Will snapped. Sergeant Platt started to move around the desk, but Will was already heading for Julie. “If you were being her mom , did you get her worksheets so she could still work on what she was learning today? Did you make sure that she ate lunch and dinner? Did you make sure that she went to the bathroom? Did you give her clean clothes when she wet her pants because you didn’t take her to the bathroom? Did you put her to bed and read her a bedtime story? Did you tuck her in and tell her that you loved her and that you couldn’t wait to see her in the morning? Did you do anything that qualifies you as her mom? Because giving birth to her makes you her mother, but taking care of her and loving her is what would make you her mom!”

He was inches away from Julie, Kim catching him with a hand on her chest. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that being my child’s mother had an expiration date!”

“It expired the day you walked out and left me a sentence-long note apologizing that you couldn’t do it anymore. It expired the day that you didn’t return to us.”

“I tried! You had already left New York!”

“So you decided to wait six years , appear out of nowhere, take my daughter from her school, refuse to take care of her basic needs for the twelve hours you had her? You decided not to contact me and ask to see her? If you’d just called, Julie, I would have let you see her. My husband and I want you -”

“Your husband ! Since when are you a faggot?”

Adam yanked Julie’s arm back, and she hissed.

“I’d watch your mouth if I were you,” Adam growled at her. “There’s a lot of faggots around here with guns, myself include.”

Will nodded at Adam, who nodded back solemnly. 

“You could have had a whole life with her. You could have loved her and seen her grow up, but now, I hope you rot in whatever prison they drop you in. If you had called, and said you wanted to be in her life, I would have let you see her as often as you wanted. My husband and I want her to have a full life, with her mother in it, but you went about this completely the wrong way, and now, you will never, ever see her again. Enjoy a long, horrible life without my daughter. You’re missing out.”

He turned and started to walk away.

“She’s a goddamn spoiled brat,” Julie spit out. “All she did was cry, and misbehave. I was so sick of hearing her after an hour, I almost dumped her off the train and let her get lost. All you have done is ruined her, and I hope you know what it feels like -”

She didn’t finish her sentence, because there was the sound of an impact. When Will turned, Mouse was shaking out his hand, face contorted in a snarl.

“Don’t you ever talk about Theo like that again,” he said and it was more animal than man, “or those will be the last words out of your horrendously crooked mouth.”

“How dare -”

“I didn’t see anything, did you, Ruzek?” Kim asked.

“Not a single thing.”

“Good. Let’s get her down to the cells before she slips again,” Kim said.

“Good thinking,” Adam replied, and he tugged Julie away from Mouse and Will, towards the holding cell's entrance. “Have a good day, Will. Give Theo a kiss for us.”

“I will.”

“Come on, we can finish the paperwork upstairs away from her,” Mouse said.

“And get you some ice on your hand,” Will replied. 

“Yeah. That, too.”

It took a little less than an hour to get Theo out of the district after that, getting kisses and hugs from her aunts and uncles, and all the way home. By the time they were pulling into the parking lot, the sun was casting rays into the windshield, and Theo was snoozing gently in the backseat. He had sent a message to Connor letting him know she was safe and on her way home with him, so he expected his husband to be at the door when they reached the apartment. Except, he was waiting in the parking lot, Jacey’s hand in his own.

“Hey baby. Look who’s here,” he said, waking Theo gently.

She gasped, and scrambled to get her seatbelt off. Connor came around the side of the car, and opened the door so Theo could jump out.

“Papa! Jacey!” She threw herself into Connor’s arms, and Will chuckled, shutting off the car and climbing out. “I missed you! I missed you so much! I was so scared! But Uncle Jay burst in and saved me like a hero !”

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Connor said, and she hugged him tightly. 

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, sun drop. I’m so glad you’re home, and you’re safe.”

“Oh, we don’t have to go to school, do we?” Jacey asked. 

“No, baby, we’re all going to take the day off, and get some rest, and hang out. How’s that sound? We can watch movies, eat snacks, and nap in the big bed,” Connor said. 

“Yeah!” Theo said excitedly. Will got down and picked up Jacey, swinging her into his arms. She wrapped him in a hug, and he pressed a kiss into her cheek.

“Hi baby,” he said gently. 

“Hi Daddy,” she said. “I was really scared.”

“I know you were, baby. I was, too.”

“I’m really tired,” she muttered.

“Me, too. Let’s go upstairs, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He closed Theo’s door, and locked the car, following Connor and Theo into the apartment building. The ride up to their floor didn’t take long, but Will could feel all of the energy sapping out of him. He had been awake for an entire day, except for the smallest nap he’d had at Jay’s desk. He was worn down to the bone, but the one thing that had kept him going through the night was this moment, standing with his family. He reached up and stroked Jacey’s hair where it was loose around her shoulders. Connor had brushed out her hair, and changed her into pajamas, even if she hadn’t really slept either. It was a stark difference to how they’d found Theo, and it was extremely obvious to Will all over again that he’d made the right choice with Connor. 

“Here we are,” Connor said, letting them into the apartment. “Is anyone hungry, or do we want to go right to sleep?”

“I am hungry,” Theo said. “But I also have to pee. Can I go pee?”

“Yeah, baby, go pee. I’ll make us breakfast.” 

He set her down and she ran off to the bathroom.

“I want a piece of jelly toast,” Jacey said, resting her cheek on Will’s shoulder. 

“That sounds really good. Me, too,” Will said. 

“Are you sure you two don’t want a little something more substantial?” Connor asked, looking at Will with a significant look. 

“I’ll eat something after we sleep,” Will said. “Thank you, though.”

“And I’m still full from dinner.”

“Are you actually?”

“Yeah, but I want a sweet toast. Please.”

“Okay, that’s okay,” Connor said. “As long as you eat something. Is Daddy sure he doesn’t want something more than just a piece of toast?”

“I’m good,” Will said. “I’m not hungry yet.”

“Okay. Well, okay. You’re definitely eating lunch.”

“I’ll try,” Will said. “That’s what you get out of me.”

Will set Jacey down on the counter and went to make them toast while Connor made eggs and toast for him and Theo. It was a perfect little moment as Theo came back into the kitchen, wiping her hands on her joggers with a smile.

“Can I get up on the counter, too?”

Will lifted Theo up beside Jacey, and watched as Jacey pulled her into a side hug. They cuddled together on the counter while Will made each of them a piece of toast, putting jelly on his and Jacey’s, while Theo and Connor preferred just butter. They ate in the kitchen once everything was done, Theo telling Jacey all about how Jay had rescued her like a knight from their tales, like a hero from a Disney movie. Will leaned into Connor, and let him feed him little bites of scrambled eggs to appease him.

“She’s home,” Will said.

“She is. You brought her home.”

“I was so scared.”

“I know.”

“She, she could have been anywhere, with anyone. They, they could have hurt her so bad.”

“They didn’t. She came home safe.”

“She did, because of Jay, and Mouse. I didn’t do anything.”

“You were there when they brought her back, and you took care of her, just like her dad should.”

“They - they implied that Julie wasn’t working alone. They implied that they had taken her for a reason, and I can’t imagine that that is a good reason.”

“Will, look at me,” Connor said, looking at him solidly. “Our daughter is home . She is safe . She is here with us, and no one can take her away from us. We will take care of her, and if we aren’t there, she has the entire intelligence unit who are there for her. She is so loved, and so cherished, and if anyone tries to hurt her, they will absolutely take out anyone who tries.”

“Hey,” Will said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Connor said, before he kissed him. It was soft, and sweet, just what he needed to settle the anxiety in his chest enough for him to yawn. “Do you need to go to bed?”

“I do.”

“Come on,” Connor said. “It’s snuggle time!”

He grabbed Theo from the counter and threw her up into the air a little before resting her against him. Jacey jumped down from the counter and held her hand up to Will.

“Snuggle time, Daddy.”

“Yeah, baby. It’s snuggle time.”

He let himself be guided into the bedroom, Connor and Theo already climbed up onto the mattress. The TV was on, Frozen halfway done already, probably from Connor and Jacey trying to get through the night together. Jacey climbed up onto Will’s side and laid back into his pillows, right up against Theo, and Will followed. The girls were sandwiched together, safe and protected here in their arms. Will looked at Connor over their heads, and even without words, they knew. It would stay with them for a while but Will knew that as long as they had moments like this, they would be okay. As long as they could return to this space, their love like cushions, they could keep going another day. As long as they had each other, as long as they had their home, they had all they needed.