"I don't even get why you would think that's funny Will…" Jay exasperated as he unlocked the door to their apartment, Will shoved him inside still laughing; "Because, telling your girlfriend about you wetting yourself at soccer is bloody hilari-…hi?" He stopped looking at the young girl sitting on the couch, making both men stop suddenly and begin breathing heavily. "Charlotte, what are you doing here? Does your mom know you're here?" Jay pushed past Will sitting on the couch across from the dark haired teen.

"Yeah of course she knows, what were you hoping she didn't so you could just send me back again?" Charlotte snapped grabbing her bag and trying to leave. "HEY!" Jay shouted down the hall "You don't speak that way to me, and you don't just storm out." Slamming the door closed, Jay grabbed her arm and plopped her on the couch as Will went to his bedroom, turning on some music to drown out what he assumed would soon turn to yelling.

"Why are you here?" Jay crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, "I was going to come up in a few weeks, you knew that. So don't come into my apartment, speak to your uncle like that and leave with an attitude the size of Lake Michigan. Sweetheart, it doesn't work like that with me." Charlotte relaxed into her seat before shaking her head "I don't know, I thought it might be fun?" She bit her lip, "But you can call mom and tell her I'll come home, clearly you and Erin are more serious than you led me to believe." She shrugs getting her phone out of her bag and handing it to him. "This isn't about Erin and you know that." He says before holding the phone to his ear. "Hey, Hils…yeah she's here. Alright, we'll be out the front." Jay hands the phone back, as they both stand and head towards the door "If you'd have told me you were coming, we could have hung out. I would have taken you for dinner but you know how I feel about you missing school…" He says trying to stop the awkwardness from seeping in as they reach the front door and head into the chilly breeze of the night.

After minutes of tension and each trying to start and then stop at making conversation, a car pulls up, making Charlotte jump off the wall she was leaning against and brush past Jay before climbing into the car and putting her headphones on as the window rolled down. "Sorry for the call," He started as he bent down to look into her window, "But what the hell? Since when does she rock up to my apartment with an attitude?" They both looked over at the girl who appeared to be falling asleep "Beats me, she's been in a mood for a week and woke up this morning telling me she was going to yours, and here we are Jay." Hilary shrugged "I'm doing my goddamn best and all I ever seem to hear about is how I'm not doing enough or that I should be paying more attention. But I've been paying attention for 14 years now, mostly alone. When does it get to be your turn?" The words hit Jay like a stack of bricks, "I'll call you, set up more visits, work around my schedule." He said trying to make amends, making Hilary almost scoff with laughter "So that's the 14th year in a row you've said that. See you in a few weeks Jay." She replied trying not to cause a fight as the window rolled up and she drove down the road.

Jay went back into his now seemingly empty apartment as Will was exiting his bedroom making a beeline for the fridge. "Is it a beer or chocolate kind of conversation?" He asked holding up both "Bring both, I have a lot to say." Jay laid down shaking his head. "When did I become an absent father?" He asks looking up as Will hands him a beer, "Honest answer or brother answer?" Will replied knowing that both would likely upset him. "They should really be the same thing" Jay smirked as Will ran his fingers over the rim of his beer "Since you left for Afghanistan. We both know once you came back and split off the engagement you wanted to forget your past but you can't just forget a kid, particularly when they remember you." Jay looked down at the carpet and nodded. "I hated fighting with Hilary, and I hated Charlotte seeing it so I did leave and make new paths so that I could provide for her. And yes maybe along the way I got distracted into getting a mortgage and making Intelligence and then Erin when she came along and the lines all kind of blurred. But I swear at the root of it, it was for her. But I guess that's easy to forget when i'm lucky to call her once a week, and visit her once a month." Jay stood up suddenly placing the beer on the table. "Night. I'll talk to you in the morning." He replied solemnly heading into his bedroom and picking up his phone to look at the logs.

Last Message Sent: 2 Months Ago

He began typing: I'm sorry for not handling you being at my place like I should have, you just surprised me. I would love to get breakfast with you at some point in the near future to discuss our future as a family. Have a great day at school, I love you Baby C.

Minutes later, a beep indicated that the text had been read and replied to

Charlotte H: K. Jay felt a part of himself die a little as he reread it over and over, knowing that it was his fault that his daughter didn't respond to him lovingly, he'd pushed her away time and time again in what he thought to be for her own good, in actuality it was just for him so that he didn't need to feel guilty about what he was doing.

Picking up the phone and scrolling through the contacts, he reached the number he had been looking for "Hey Voight, it's Halstead. I'm going to need a few days, my family has some stuff going on."