Hi everyone :) This is the FINAL INSTALLMENT of Bless the Broken Road. Thank you SO MUCH to all the people that fell in love with this stories and these characters as much as I did. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you reading my story week after week! I hope I did the characters justice in this Epilogue :)

And at the bottom of this page, I have also posted the first chapter of my next story, Nothing to Fear. The first and second chapter of that story are posted in it's own page :) I hope you enjoy that one, too!

Oh and also, LOVED the deleted scene from this past week. They DEFINITELY should have kept that scene in, it would have made all the difference for us Linstead shippers!

Epilogue

"We're home!"

Jay stood in the large, bright kitchen pulling ingredients from the refrigerator, but at the sound of his wife's voice, he turned towards the door, suddenly nervous. Erin and Grace had left before 7:00 this morning to stand in line, and it was already almost noon.

"How did it go?" He asked, his voice cautious but trying to sound upbeat.

But his face fell at the sight of his daughter walking into the kitchen, a sad frown clear on her face. He moved towards her, ready to comfort her, but all of a sudden her face broke into a smile.

"Gotcha!" Grace said, smiling broadly and displaying the perfectly straight teeth that were a result of three long years of braces. "You are looking at Illinois' newest licensed driver!" She pulled the small rectangle out of her pocket and displayed it proudly.

Erin appeared in the doorway, fresh faced and smiling, with dimples present deep in her cheeks. "First try," she said, her voice full of pride. "She did great."

A wave of relief passed over Jay as he moved towards his daughter. He pulled her into a hug, "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

Before he even had a chance to pull away, Maddie was racing into the kitchen to join them. "Did you pass? Did you pass?" She asked eagerly.

"Sure did," Grace sent her sister a smirk.

The two girls jumped up and down excitedly, while their parents just stood and watched.

"Let's go get ice cream," Maddie said, after the litany of shrieks and screams had died down. "Want to, Gracie?"

Grace turned to her, and sent her another smirk, something she had definitely picked up from her parents. "Only if you promise not to call me Gracie when Ben comes over for the barbecue."

"Ben's coming?" Jay interrupted. "Since when?"

"Since I asked mom, and she said yes," Grace replied casually.

He turned to his wife and scowled. Ben was Grace's awkward best friend turned basketball player boyfriend. He was 17 and nearly as tall as Jay. Originally, Jay had deemed him completely harmless, but lately he had... well, grown up.

"You approved of this?" He whispered, glad Grace and Maddie had gone back to talking, both oohing and ahhing at the picture displayed on the freshly minted Illinois drivers license.

"I figured it was fine," Erin whispered back. "Besides, Hank will be here, and he'll surely scare the crap out of him."

"Hey," Jay said, not sure if he should be offended by her comment. "I'm scary," he said, almost pouting.

"Of course you are, baby," she said, her statement not nearly as placating as the soft kiss she placed on his lips right after.

When she pulled her lips away, she noticed her two daughters were staring at her. "Can we go, mom?"

"Um..." She checked her watch. They still had a few hours before people were going to start showing up. "Sure. But be careful," She instructed, narrowing her eyes to make sure Grace knew she was serious. "No texting and driving, no talking on the phone and driving, no blasting the radio and driving, no-"

"I know, mom," Grace sighed, heavily. She had heard this speech a hundred times. "I promise I'll be careful."

"Can I come, too, Gracie?"

They all turned to see six year old Henry William Halstead standing in the doorway. He was rubbing his tired eyes, and Erin realized his nap must have been interrupted by all the commotion in the kitchen. They should have tried to keep it down.

"Of course you can, Hen," Grace replied, moving towards him. "You can even have a double scoop."

"Hey," Maddie said, mock irritation in her voice. "How come Hen gets to call you Gracie?"

"Because he is my favorite little man in the world," she said, reaching out and placing his hand neatly into hers. "Isn't that right, little man?"

"That's right," he said, smiling widely and seemingly no longer tired. His bright blue eyes shined as he moved to follow Grace and Maddie out the door.

He was in awe of his two older sisters, and thankfully, the feeling was completely mutual.

The three of them left in a hurry, and then Erin and Jay stood in the kitchen, now completely alone.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Jay pulled his wife close and wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you this morning," he said, before crashing his lips against hers.

Her back rested against the cool granite countertop, as she melted into her husband's embrace.

The kitchen in the new house was about three times the size of the kitchen in their apartment, and even though it hadn't been the kitchen to house their engagement, it had definitely seen it's share of moments.

Flashback:

"Girls, dinner," Erin called out, as she began to set the table. Jay was finishing up with the chicken stir-fry over the stove and needed about three more minutes. But knowing the girls, that meant they would show up right on time.

The new house had an eat-in kitchen, and the large round table was set in the alcove near a large bay window. The leaves were changing colors, and at 6 pm, the sun was still shining, casting rays of natural light into the kitchen.

"Girls," she called again. "Dinner is ready, come on!" She placed the last cup on the table, and began filling the glasses with iced water.

The girls knew she didn't like having to call them more than twice, and so they filed in only a moment later.

Jay moved towards them and greeted them both with a kiss on the forehead as they sat down. His girls might be growing up, but they still had time for daddy's kisses.

When they were all seated at the table, and had taken a few bites of the food, Jay started in on their nightly ritual.

"Maddie, do you want to go first?" He asked, knowing Grace had gone first the night before.

"Yes!" She said, nodding excitedly. She may be 9 years old, but she hadn't lost her bounce, and it was something Jay loved so much about her.

"Okay," Erin said, smiling. "Tell us something."

She twisted her pasta as she considered her answer, but then she placed her fork down and smiled widely. "I got all but one question right on my Math test!" She said, excitedly.

"That's wonderful, Mads!" Jay replied, a huge smile on his face. Maddie had been struggling in math in the first few weeks of school, and Erin and Jay had opted to get her a tutor. It seemed that the issue was just inattention, and the tutor had been convinced that he wasn't actually doing anything. He had even said he felt guilty taking their money. However, Jay and Erin felt the tutor was helping her refocus, and he was definitely worth every penny. "I'm so proud of you," he said, still beaming.

She just smiled, full of pride, and then picked up her fork to resume her meal.

"Okay, Grace," Erin said, shifting her attention to their eldest daughter. "Your turn. Tell us something."

Grace, who had come into the kitchen smiling, was now looking down at her plate and pushing the vegetables in the stir fry around with her fork. When she looked up, her face fell. "I miss Maddie being in my class," she admitted, quietly. "I want to go back to 4th grade."

"Grace," Jay said softly, but before he could continue, Maddie jumped out of her chair and moved towards her sister.

"Gracie," she said, reaching out for her sister's hand. "I miss you, too." She gave her sister a reassuring smile, "But 5th graders get their own lockers in the hallway, and that's so much cooler than 4th grade."

Erin couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes unbidden in that moment as she watched Maddie comfort Grace.

At the end of the last school year, the teacher had called Jay and Erin and requested they come in for a parent-teacher conference regarding Grace. The teacher felt that Grace, who had been placed in Maddie's class in pre-school because of their relationship with Annie and their initial thought that it would only be temporary, should really skip a year and be placed in 5th grade in the fall.

She had been excelling in her studies and was a little more mature than the other students. After talking it over with each other, and then with Grace and Maddie, they had decided to move her up.

"Bug," Jay said, deciding to speak for both him and Erin, since he noticed Erin was trying to hide the tears slowly building up. "Your mom and Maddie and me are so proud of you," he said, trying to keep his voice encouraging. "And it's going to get easier, I promise."

Maddie was still beside Grace, holding tightly onto her hand, and she nodded in agreement. "You just need to make a friend," Maddie said, knowing that was really the problem. "Then you'll have someone to sit with at lunch."

"Actually," Grace said, finally finding a slight smile. "I did make a friend this week. His name is Ben and he's really nice. He wears glasses and he likes to read the same books I do."

"That's wonderful," Erin said, knowing a good friend could make all the difference.

Maddie and Grace talked about Ben for a few more minutes before Maddie returned to her seat.

"Mommy," Grace said, her mouth full of chicken, and her voice significantly more calm, "It's your turn to tell us something."

Erin looked over at Jay and raised an eyebrow, giving him a questioning stare. Maybe now wasn't the right time?

But he just nodded, encouraging her to go forth with their plan.

"Well," she said, turning to face both of her daughters. "Mommy's pregnant!"

"WHAT?!" Maddie yelped, and was out of her chair once again. She moved towards her mother and jumped into her lap. "You are?!"

"I am!" She responded, kissing Maddie lightly on the forehead and then scrunching her nose with excitement. "Mommy and Daddy are going to have a baby!"

Erin turned to Grace, nervous to gauge her reaction. Erin and Jay had been worried that the news may be difficult for her, and they were both ready to reassure her that there was room in their hearts for all three of their babies.

They needn't have been worried.

Grace moved out of her chair and with Erin's lap occupied, she moved towards Jay. "Do you think it's going to be a boy?" Was the first thing she asked as she crawled into his lap. "Maddie and I really want a little brother."

The kitchen had been the center of the household, the walls held the sounds and stories of their entire world.

Erin was just glad the walls couldn't talk.

"That was amazing," Erin panted against her husband, her bare butt warm against the cold granite of the counter.

"I know," Jay sighed heavily, dropping his head against her shoulder and kissing her neck slowly. "We should have let Grace get her license weeks ago."

Erin just laughed. "Speaking of," she said, and then she wriggled off the counter. "We should probably get dressed. The kids will be back any second." She loved sneaking around, but she wasn't a teenager anymore, and she definitely didn't want to get caught.

They quickly dressed, and Erin went to clean off the counter so Jay could return to cooking. "Are you making the sauce?" She asked.

"Of course," he replied, as he pulled out the last few ingredients from the cupboard.

At the first barbecue Erin and Jay had hosted at their new house, Hank had given Jay his special barbecue sauce recipe as a housewarming gift. He hadn't realized how special the offer was until Erin had told him later that night, but since then, he had made it during every barbecue they had. And with Hank coming tonight, he wanted to make sure it was perfect.

"I'll be right back," Jay said, kissing his wife, and going to grab the recipe. He didn't keep it in the kitchen, always nervous it would get ruined. He could, of course, make copies of the recipe. But he liked using the original. He liked knowing that the loopy script belonged to Camille Halstead, a woman he had never met, yet had impacted his life so significantly.

As he ascended the stairs, he heard the front door open. Then, Grace called out from the foyer, "We're home!"

By the time he found his way back to the kitchen, he overheard another voice in the kitchen.

"So, Blake was asking about you today," Ben was saying, his voice smooth and deep.

"He was?" Maddie asked, seemingly excited.

Who the hell was Blake? Jay immediately wanted to know.

He hated the name Blake. Blake was a tool. Blake was always a tool. And no way was a kid named Blake good enough for his baby.

"Who's Blake," he asked, not even trying to keep his voice nonchalant as he moved into the kitchen.

Ben seemed to straighten at the sound of his voice. "Sergeant Halstead, sir. Hi, um, thank you so much for having me."

See, I am, too, scary, Jay thought, moving towards them and feeling a little more fond of Ben in that moment.

But, just a little. "Who's Blake?" He repeated the question as he watched the teenager squirm.

"Blake is Ben's best friend, dad." Grace answered for him. "He wants to ask Maddie out."

"Wait," Erin asked, as she found her way into the kitchen, too. "What happened to Drew?"

Grace, Ben, and Maddie all shared a look. "Nothing," Maddie replied, her voice suddenly nervous.

Alarm bells went off in Jay's head. "Tell us," he said, reminding his daughter that this family did not have secrets.

"It's nothing, really," Maddie replied again, this time looking first at Grace and then down at her hands.

Jay noticed the way that Ben placed a comforting, or maybe possessive hand on Grace's knee. "It's okay, baby," he whispered, low enough that he thought Jay wouldn't be able to hear.

Baby. Was this kid serious?

"Grace?" Erin kept her voice soft.

"Drew made fun of me for being adopted," she said, shyly.

"So I told him he was a dick, and that I was adopted, too." Maddie said, smiling at her mother. "And then I dumped him."

Jay refrained from what would have been his normal response, which was 'Madeline Rose, watch your language', and instead he joined the three teenagers at the table. He reached out and covered Grace's hand in his own, and then turned to Maddie. "That's my girl."

Grace may have slipped seamlessly into the older sister role when she moved up in grades, but Maddie always had her back.

The comment caused Grace to smile, too, and so Jay decided it was probably best to change the subject. "So Blake," he said, turning until he was eye to eye with Ben. He saw the fear in them, and he couldn't help but smile. "He's a good guy?" He asked.

Ben just nodded, too nervous to speak.

"Good."

0000000000

A few hours later, when the sauce was simmering on low, Jay left the kitchen and moved towards his room to get changed.

"Jay," Erin called out when he walked into the door, "Is that you?" Her voice was coming from their ensuite bathroom.

"Yeah," he replied, walking across the large master bedroom to the bathroom.

"Can you zip me up?" She asked, not even turning around. She was leaning over the vanity set, applying mascara, and she smiled at him through the mirror.

The green dress she had chosen combined with the subtle smokey shadow highlighted her beautiful hazel eyes.

"Yeah," he replied, moving towards her.

Her hair was swept over to the side, allowing him access to her back. He slowly zipped her dress, allowing his fingers to linger against her warm skin.

Then, he leaned down and kissed the back of her shoulder in a line until he reached her neck. She shivered beneath him, putting her mascara down and leaning into his embrace.

"You know, it's nice," she said, her voice low and raspy. "That after all these years, I still love you as much as I did the day I said I do." She turned around, and wrapped her bare arms around his neck. "Maybe even more."

He leaned in to kiss her, then pressed his forehead against hers. "It's more than nice," he whispered. "It's everything." Then he kissed her again, slowly this time, allowing his tongue to dance against hers even as their bodies melted into each other. "Happy anniversary, baby."

She smiled at him, his favorite smile in the world, and he decided he needed one more moment. He needed one more moment of peace with his wife before their friends and family joined them.

So he pulled out his phone, and turned the song on low.

"Dance with me," he whispered, kissing her once more before extending his hand out to her.

Tears welled in her eyes as she recognized the song, the one they had first danced to as husband and wife. "Always," she choked out in reply.

Then she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his broad chest, and let the words wash over her.

But now you're my whole life,

Now you're my whole world.

I just can't believe, the way I feel about you girl.

Like a river meets the sea,

Stronger than it's ever been.

We've come so far since that day,

And I thought I loved you then.

Erin smiled once again, thinking how amazing it was that they had picked a song that still rung so true, even to this day.

Even 10 years after their wedding.

10 extraordinary years.

And I thought I loved you then.

xoxo

THE END :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING !

And now ... Chapter 1 of Nothing to Fear!

Chapter 1,

Breathe. Just breathe.

Brooke Davis could feel the walls closing in on her.

When she closed her eyes, it was like she could feel his fingers. The way they had been clammy and cold against her neck, the way they just wouldn't let up. The way they squeezed her even as she struggled against him.

Even as she gasped, trying to fill her lungs, only to result in ragged, strained breaths.

Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the feeling of the wind being knocked out of her, the sharpness of the kick of his steel boot into her abdomen.

Every time she closed her eyes, she could see the bruises that marked her skin. The dark lines that traced where his fingers had squeezed her neck, her arms. The evidence of his punches that settled deep in her eyes.

Breath.

That's why she kept her eyes open.

Boom, boom, boom.

Because there was more; there were the injuries that stayed long after the physical evidence was gone.

Those were the ones that kept her up at night.

Boom, boom.

So her eyes were open. Open and trained on the paper outline of the man at the end of the aisle.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Five holes in his head.

Five holes in his heart.

Yes, her eyes were open now.

She sucked in a deep breath of air, removing her finger from where where it was positioned at the trigger.

She knew she needed to stop.

The attack had been two years ago.

She was fine. Everything was fine.

The bruises had faded, as had the sleepless nights. Long ago. She had clawed and fought her way through until it had become just a faint memory.

You're fine, she thought, continuing her inner monologue and trying to convince herself that there was truth to it.

She was just feeling unsettled from her move.

She had left everything that was comfortable behind, and she was essentially starting over in a new city. She was just letting the feelings of uncertainty blur until they reappeared as feelings of fear.

But she had nothing to fear.

But then, she remembered the note. The small white piece of paper, no bigger than the side of an index card, that laid tucked in it's torn envelope at the bottom of her Clothes over Bros purse.

The note with four words written haphazardly across the lines, strewn and sloppy like the author had written them quickly. Erratically.

Fuck it, she thought, placing her fingers squarely back on the trigger. She let the feel of the cold metal and the weight of it against her hands relax her, before she pulled against in again.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

She hit the target in the center of the chest.

Because even if she didn't have anything to fear...

It was better to be safe than sorry.

00000000000

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Jay Halstead removed his goggles before pressing the button that moved the paper offender into to view.

He smiled when he saw that he hadn't missed his mark. All five bullets that he had discharged had fallen into a straight line, straight down the center of the body.

For recertification, it was a requirement that all bullets to fall into the center. But today, he was just shooting to blow off some steam, and he preferred to hit each black line until it tore apart, creating a tear in the smooth ink, breaking the smooth, round circle.

"Rough day?" He heard Antonio Dawson's voice as he removed the ear protecting head phones that had been covering his ears.

He put the safety on the gun and placed it down on the counter before turning to face his former partner. "You could say that," was all he said, because he honestly didn't feel like getting into it.

He had woken up two hours earlier this morning, trying to release some of the tension before another long day at work. But it wasn't exactly working like he had hoped it would.

Maybe tomorrow he would go to the boxing gym. Maybe sparring against someone would lift his mood, or at least get out of some of his aggression and irritation.

"Want to talk to about it?" Antonio asked, holstering his weapon against his pants. Jay hadn't expected to run into anyone this early in the morning at the gun range, but knowing Antonio, he probably had come for recertification.

He never needed to let off steam like this.

What did it say about Jay that the time he had spent the gun range wasn't enough? That he needed to visit Dawson's boxing gym because right now he just felt like punching something?

Nothing good. Of that, he was sure. "Not really," he answered, as he pressed the button once again to slide the paper target back into place.

But, Antonio was one of his best friends, and he wasn't about to let up that easily. "You'll find the right fit."

Easy for you to say, Jay thought, as he placed the goggles back over his face. But he refrained from saying it out loud, knowing it wasn't exactly fair. Antonio had been called up to work at the district's attorney's office. He had worked hard, and really deserved it.

And it wasn't Antonio's fault that Hank Voight had assigned him awful partner after awful partner.

So instead, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I hope so," before recovering his ears.

Jay's last partner, in a long string of new partners, had put in his notice to switch units yesterday afternoon.

It hadn't been Jay's fault. The young officer hadn't really understood the way the Intelligence unit was run, and it just hadn't been the right fit.

So Jay may have encouraged him to switch units.

Okay, pushed. Jay had pushed him.

But, so what?

He was just looking out for the young male officer. This guy was so positive and happy. He was a newlywed, he had a baby on the way.

He just didn't belong.

He had been doing him a favor.

But of course, Hank Voight hadn't seen it that way. He thought Jay was just cycling through another partner, waiting and hoping for Antonio to return.

And that wasn't it. Well, not exactly.

It was just...

Jay knew this unit would ruin him.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Of course, this unit fit Jay like a glove.

He had known that since his very first case. He remembered the brutal double murder, the way the second body had been beaten and battered until it was barely recognizable.

He had known since he first watched Hank Voight throw a suspect into the cage, pinning him against the metal chained wall. He had known this was the unit for him, that he would thrive there.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Because you see, Jay had already been ruined.

xo

Let me know what you think ;) Thanks for reading!