57. Four Paws

Here comes a new dose of Linstead fluff! Enjoy :)

57. Four Paws

June brought the first days of summer to Chicago, the city reveling 12 hours of pure sunshine a day, the skies crystal blue without any hints of clouds. Unfortunately with the temperatures and the humidity rising, the lunatics seemed to leave their hiding places and the crime rate rose simultaneously, leaving Erin and Jay very little time to enjoy their family life because most days he worked overtime or even the whole night and one day Erin had found herself calling Carol for the first time and asking whether Emmy could stay with her until the evening as a case required Intelligence to be on the scene in full force. Of course Carol had happily agreed, this woman was a saint to say the least, but she'd nonetheless never felt as bad in her life than when she'd picked her daughter up in the evening after a full 12-hours workday, Jay and the rest of the unit not even close to call it a day, and she'd promised herself to let this be the exception. As this had been one of the cases that needed to be solved at all costs, she'd worked for four days in a row, just not as late the other three days, and she couldn't help but feel guilty for somehow abandoning her child and not being there for her enough. She'd been incredibly relieved when the case was wrapped successfully after four exhausting days and she's been back to work her regular hours and days ever since, trying to spend as much time as possible with her baby girl to somehow make up for the days she'd barely seen her.

Things were even worse for Jay because other than seeing Emilia in the morning and late at night when he came home and could only give the sleeping baby a kiss for goodnight or when she was still in the bullpen with Erin one morning a week, he hadn't had many opportunities to spend time with his daughter as he'd even worked through the weekends for the past two weeks since the beginning of June. Literally the moment they'd finished their talk about happiness back then, Hank had called him to inform him that they had a new crime and ever since then Jay has barely had a moment to breathe, neither to spend with his daughter. Erin knew this was preying on him. He didn't want to be this kind of dad who only saw his child in the morning and late at night. It reminded him too much of his own father, how he'd never been there during his childhood. But his job didn't leave him a choice, this was what he'd promised the moment he became a cop. To protect this city, to make it a better place and to do everything for it.

He's been in a bad mood quite often these last two weeks and was generally overworked and exhausted, Erin could see it in his eyes, in his body language and his behavior. He barely ever complained though, this just wasn't him. He'd gone through worse, through longer periods of absolute exhaustion when he was on duty, fighting for his country far away from home, so he just did his job now as well and he did it as extraordinary as always.

Nonetheless Erin was thankful that Hank had seemed to recognize that his best sniper needed to catch a break without her saying a thing to him and had therefore given him the weekend off, no matter how many criminals would decide to commit a crime within the next few days. They would want to go to the park tomorrow and have a picnic there with Will, Natalie and Owen and just simply relax, trying to forget the rush of the previous weeks and enjoy some very needed family downtime. And maybe on Sunday they would start to change some things in their new house by painting the rooms they already had some ideas for, like the nursery and the master bedroom.

Unfortunately it was only Friday evening now and like so often within the last two weeks Erin and Emilia were alone, waiting for Jay to come home, hopefully before midnight today, so at least Erin could spend some time outside of work with him. Some time as in five or ten minutes before they would fall asleep.

After picking her daughter up from Carol earlier, she had already done the grocery shopping so they didn't have to do it on their free weekend, had cleaned the bathroom and changed the sheets in the bedroom and had then ended the day with taking a stroll with Emilia in the nightfall of this summerly day. Now she was sunken into the cushions of the couch, the TV running in the background, not for her entertainment but more for interrupting the silence in the living room, and Emilia was drifting to sleep on her chest, her baby's head tucked under her chin so she could give her soft kisses all the time and inhale her sweet scent. When she couldn't cuddle with Jay in the evening these days, she could at least cuddle with her baby but she wanted nothing more than to cuddle with the both of them together because it's been a while and she missed it more than anything else.

Her phone buzzed on the coffe table, where her feet rested as well, and she carefully adjusted her position and reached for it, trying not to wake Emilia up with her movement.

″Daddy's coming home soon, sweetie,″ she whispered against her daughter's head after reading the message from the man she loved. ″He caught all the bad guys and is on the way back to the district. So we should just wait here so he can bring you to bed, what do you think?″ she asked and stroked over Emilia's light brown hair lovingly. It was already past Emilia's usual bedtime and normally she would just bring her to bed so she could sleep there but she wanted to give Jay the opportunity to finally bring his princess to bed again.

The happiness about Jay coming home was short-lived. Her phone buzzed again only 10 minutes later and instead of telling her that he just left the district and asking her whether they needed anything he should bring on his way home, he told her that they just responded to the call of a possible shooting in a neighborhood they were close by, closer than any patrol unit even. So of course Intelligence was already on the way to the scene and Jay's quitting time was postponed for now.

″Well, that's that,″ Erin sighed frustrated and dumped her phone on the couch. Now midnight seemed like a nice time for him to come home but she didn't expect him to show up within the next four hours if there really was a shooting or even worse, if there was an active shooter out there. Her man probably had another nightshift ahead before he was allowed to go home and enjoy his weekend off with his family. In case this wasn't one of the cases that needed him to be involved regardless that Hank had acutally given him the weekend off.

When Emilia was sleeping deeply on her chest half an hour later, Erin brought her to bed, all alone, like every evening these days without Jay wrapping his arm around her and them watching their baby sleep for a minute. She missed their domesticated life they've got used to, their evening routine, her making dinner ready while he took a shower after a long day and afterwards Jay enjoying some undisturbed bonding time with Emmy by bathing her, giving her her bottle for the night and reading her a story while she would clean up the kitchen after dinner and take a shower before they would end their evening with snuggling on the couch while watching some movie. This was how their perfect evenings looked like when Jay wrapped by 6pm. Unfortunately things only went that smooth 50% of the week, give or take, and these days this number was down to a steady, unsatisfying zero.

Erin shuffled back to the living room, dimmed the light and checked her phone again, hoping that Jay had messaged her, saying it was nothing and that he was on his way home, but the only message she had was from Natalie, asking her when they wanted to meet the next day. Erin typed her possible sister-in-law a message back quickly before she turned the TV on and made herself comfortable on the couch. Netflix was her best friend these days and she hoped that it could entertain her and keep her awake until Jay would come back home later the night.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

″Hey babe,″ she heard the voice of her fiancée whispering into her ear, followed by his lips kissing her cheek softly, his stubble scratching over her skin. She blinked some times to clear her vision and a tired smile spread across her face when she saw Jay leaning over her. Apparently the plan of staying awake hadn't worked that well and she had no idea when exactly her eyes had simply fallen close.

″Hey sleepyhead,″ Jay smiled and leaned down to brush his lips against hers.

″Hey,″ she mumbled into his mouth. ″What time is it?″ she added and her hand tangled around his neck to pull him closer again so she could return his kiss.

″Almost 12.45am,″ he sighed when she released his mouth.

″Jeeez, I guess I just slept for three hours,″ she chuckled.

″Well, that explains it,″ he laughed.

″Explains what?″ Erin frowned but before he could answer she heard a noise coming from the front door that sounded like paws of a dog scratching over their wooden floor. She sat up instantly to assure herself that she was most probably hallucinating, hearing things that weren't there due to her tiredness but when her eyes focused on the hallway they indeed found a dog sitting there in the dimmed light. Right in front of their door. Inside of their apartment. For a moment she wondered whether she was actually hallucinating, her eyes playing a trick on her in the middle of the night.

″Erin-,″ Jay said quickly as his eyes followed hers and found the pup.

″Wait a second,″ Erin said frowning, holding her hand up and making a face that showed him that she tried to put some pieces together and analyze the current situation. ″Why on Earth is there a dog in our apartment?″ she asked slowly, her eyes not leaving the animal that was still sitting there all calm, like it was waiting for someone to call it as permission to join them. Or for someone to pick it up and take it home.

″We found him at the crime scene,″ he started to explain carefully.

″Jay, you can't just simply bring a dog home you found at a crime scene!″ she interrupted him, her voice sounding like she was sure he'd lost his mind by bringing a strange dog to their apartment.

″Hey, keep cool,″ he answered softly. ″Would you just listen to me and let me explain the whole story?″ he pleaded and grabbed her chin with his thumb and his index finger so she had to look at him. ″Please?″

″This better be the best explanation you've ever given someone,″ Erin said teeth-gnashingly and slightly shook her head. This wasn't what she'd wanted to wake up to. A foreign dog in their apartment and a possible discussion with Jay ahead when all she wanted to do was going to bed with him, feeling his hand tangled around her waist and holding her as close as possible.

″Okay,″ Jay nodded, hoping that she would understand his reasonings. Otherwise he maybe had to make a trip to the animal shelter in the middle of the night and could then sleep on the couch himself. But he had a feeling she would understand once she knew the whole story. And once she knew there weren't any reasons to be worried about Emilia's well-being because of the dog. Because if there were, he never had brought him home.

″Come here buddy,″ he told the dog and the latter got on his four paws instantly and walked to Jay, even fawned a little. No doubt this dog has already found its master. ″Good boy,″ Jay said and stroked his head extensively.

″So?″ Erin asked expectantly, watching how her fiancé kept on petting the dog that was without a doubt beautiful and had a really cute, innocent face. He looked like a mix and from his conformation and looks Erin guessed Labrador and Border Collie were the breeds that had been crossed here. His build resembled the one of a Labrador, just a tad bit smaller and more petite than a normal Labrador. His fur was short, like the one of a Labrador but his markings resembled the one of a Border Collie. He was mostly black but had three white feet respectively legs and on his left hind leg only his paw was white. His chest, neck and belly were white as well and so was the tip of his tail, like it had been dipped into a bowl of white paint. He had white jaws, the light fur also covering some of the space between his light brown, trusting eyes up to his forehead. His black floppy ears made him look extremely naive but also extremely cute and lovable.

″Well,″ Jay said and exhaled a deep breath, not because he was afraid of telling her why he'd decided to bring the dog home but because the case that came with it was one of the most brutal crimes they've had recently. ″This is Crispin. He's a Labrador-Border-Collie mix, about two years old and I found him at the crime scene,″ he started to explain and changed his gaze from the dog to Erin who still looked anything but impressed.

″When we arrived at the scene, it was too late already. The perp had already disappeared, leaving a bloody massacre behind. He killed a single father and his two young kids, aged 4 and 5, in their home. Execution style.″ He stopped and closed his eyes to push the pictures of the two, in their own blood covered, dead kids that had their whole life ahead, into the back of his head. He failed. These were pictures he would never be able to forget. Just like the ones of the many dead kids during his time in Afghanistan. He was kinda glad to have the weekend off and Hank not taking this generous offer back, so he didn't have to see these little dead bodies in the morgue and the horrible pictures pinned on the board in the pen. Cases with kids have always been hard but especially since having a child themselves these were the kind of cases that hit too close to home. Way too close.

″Oh my god,″ Erin whispered and swallowed the lump in her throat down while squeezing his hand to comfort him. Cases with kids were always the hardest, the ones that followed her for a while. But two innocent kids killed in the place that should be their safe home, killed execution style, made this case one of those that made her hate her job. That made her reconsider whether this was it for her. But the aspiration for justice, for at least doing something by bringing the perps who did this behind bars, always kept her going. It was their way to give their victims their voices back, to let them rest in peace. Nonetheless she was kind of glad that she hadn't been the one to respond to the call, to discover the bodies. Since coming back to Intelligence they haven't had cases with dead kids and she had no idea whether she could handle it and how she would deal with it at all.

″Their father tried to shield them but the perp was merciless and shot them all. It looks like it was personal and so far we only know that the father had indeed a shady past but turned his life around for his kids after their mother overdosed and died three years ago. He had a good job, the kids went to pre-school, they lived in a house that didn't look too bad and they had a dog,″ he explained, his eyes falling on Crispin again, who sat in front of them on the floor, looking at them expectantly.

″After we discovered the bodies I was the one who heard a quiet whimper. I wasn't sure whether it was another child that maybe survived or a dog and at first the others thought I was crazy because they didn't hear it. But then I heard it again and I simply ordered Adam to follow me. We found Crispin hidden behind the bed in the father's bedroom. His feet and nose were covered in blood. It seemed like he wasn't in the same room during the shooting, maybe outside in the garden or in the kitchen, then found his family dead and retreated into the bedroom because he was traumatized by the events. He looked so scared, it was heartbreaking and then Hank said we need to call someone from the animal shelter who would take care of him until we find family members...,″ he said, biting his lower lip with his teeth all innocent.

″And that's when you decided you rather bring him home,″ Erin concluded.

″Yeah...I mean, he was scared and traumatized, witnessed a shooting and lost his family. I just couldn't give him to a shelter where he would get even more traumatized. Not after what he went through tonight,″ he said apologizing. God, her man had such a huge heart. Sometimes Erin wondered how it even fit into his chest.

″I tried to call you because I wanted to tell you, warn you, whatsoever,″ he continued, a soft laughter escaping from his mouth. ″Twice, by the way. But you wouldn't answer,″ he winked, a hint of mischief spreading over his face.

″Yeah, I was pretty much out I guess,″ she answered. Not hearing the buzzing of her phone meant she'd been completely out.

″Uh-huh,″ he chuckled before he continued with the story of Crispin joining their family temporarly. ″So when you didn't answer I decided to take him with me anyway, hoping that my fiancée wouldn't put me six feet under for it. I took him to the only vet who had emergency service tonight, just to check whether he's injured, whether he needs any vaccinations, to check him for fleas and to check whether there's anything else that would make it impossible to bring him here. We also gave him a bath there and it turned out he's completely healthy and had all the necessary vaccinations. I swear, he was simply the sweetest, most well behaved dog all the time. The vet just confirmed that he's indeed a bit traumatized and rather needs a home with loving people now than an animal shelter. He's used to kids and so I thought we could foster him over the weekend and maybe next week as well until we figured out whether there are family members that would take him or someone from the animal shelter helps us to find a forever family for him without that he has to spend even one night at such a scary place. And I really don't want to bring him there now,″ Jay ended his explanation, looking at her pleadingly. For a moment Erin was sure that Jay had bigger puppy-eyes than the actual pup.

She could completely understand why Jay had brought Crispin home though, she would probably have done the same in this situation. And that he'd most probably woken up some vet just to make sure that bringing the dog home wouldn't be dangerous for Emilia in any way was so much Jay, the considerate man who always thought about everything, even when he made such a spontaneous decision that was kind of uncalled for him.

″So Crispin, huh?″ Erin asked and the dog lifted his head by the sound of his name. For a moment she thought she was crazy but she was sure to see sadness and grief reflecting from his eyes. She leaned forward to stroke his head with both of her hands and then stroked down his neck and back, her hands finding his tag on his collar. It was a silver heart, the name Crispin engraved into it. There was no doubt that this dog had been loved by his family. And there was also no doubt that he definitely didn't deserve to spend the night in an animal shelter. Crispin was here to stay. For now.

″Alright, he'll stay with us for the weekend,″ Erin finally agreed. ″But looking for a family for him will be the first thing Monday morning.″

″Sure,″ Jay nodded, smiling brightly. ″See Crispin, I told you she's amazing,″ he said to the young dog and gave him a quick pat before melting his lips with Erin's in a long, thankful kiss that quickly turned into one where their tongue's danced in each other's mouth. Jay pushed her back down into the cushions of the couch softly, his lips capturing hers before his mouth found her earlobe and he peppered kisses along her neck, his hand starting to strip the straps of her top and bra down so he could kiss the sensitive skin on her collarbone. Even through the fabric of his jeans Erin could feel his arousal as a sign how much he needed her. During the last two weeks with never ending cases and nightshifts in a row, their intimate moments had gone short so it didn't need much for him these days.

″Jay,″ she whispered into his mouth and pushed him away softly. Of course she wanted him as well, no matter that the clock was nearing 1am, her body already heating up and craving for him, but there was something that kept her from completely loosing it on their couch once again. He stopped kissing her and groaned in frustration, waiting for her to tell him why on earth she'd interrupted the very needed reunion of their bodies.

″What?″ he asked, breathing a little heavier than usual.

″We never did it in front of our daughter and we're sure as hell not doing it in front of the dog,″ she chuckled huskily. ″Sorry babe, but it wasn't my idea to bring him home,″ she teased him when he rolled his eyes dramatically by her statement.

″Well, that ain't a problem,″ he smirked boyishly, got up from the couch, pulled her up as well, his hands finding her butt as soon as she was standing so he could lift her up, her center pressed against the bulge in his jeans.

″Wait,″ she laughed when he already carried her to the bedroom but before he had the chance to crash his lips against hers, Crispin following on their heels. ″You need to give your dog a bed where he can sleep tonight and maybe a bowl of water, don't you think?″

He grunted something she didn't understand in response, most probably that she was right and had a point, but kept on carrying her to the bedroom nonetheless and put her down on their bed.

″Stay,″ he smirked and went to the closet to pull out two blankets and a big pillow. He couldn't take Crispin's bed from the crime scene and no pet shop was open during the middle of the night, so he had to improvise.

″Hey, I am not a dog,″ she complained by his order.

″Thank god you're not,″ he winked cockily at her, giving her another of these boyish smirks that killed her, and left her alone for a minute. Or five.

He put the two blankets and the pillow down in the hall to make Crispin a comfortable bed as possible and placed a bowl of water next to his new bed. Jay reminded himself that the first thing they had to do in the morning was buying dog food. But Crispin would probably remind them as well.

″Come on buddy, this is your bed for the night,″ he said and got down on his knees to first pet the dog and then show him his bed. ″You can sleep here. And only here, okay? If we find you on the couch tomorrow morning Erin is going to kill you. And me. And we don't want that, right? So please be a good boy and stay here. I promise we'll look for some toys and food and a real bed for you tomorrow morning. Come on Crisp, down,″ he spoke to the dog and he first looked at him in return and then stepped onto the pile of blankets and the pillow with his paws, sniffing carefully before lying down.

″Good boy,″ Jay smiled and stroked his head to assure him that everything was fine. Crispin let himself fall onto his side, so Jay could tickle his stomach and of course he did him the favor. Jay couldn't deny that he enjoyed having the dog around. It reminded him of the time with his grandfather's dog Carly and these were great memories that could make him smile anyday.

″Okay that's enough buddy,″ he said after three minutes of extensive tickling. ″There's someone else I need...my hands for, you know?″ he laughed to himself and gave Crispin one last pat before he got up and turned the lights out on the way to the bathroom.

When he walked into the bedroom a couple of minutes later, only wearing his boxers, he found Erin still lying on the bed, just with the difference that she has also changed to her lingerie only, her hair fanned out on the pillow. They've obviously had the same thought.

″Not wasting time with undressing, huh?″ he chuckled softly, his eyes roaming her perfect body, her still fuller breasts and her stomach that was back being flat and trained, almost no evidence left that there ever had a baby lived inside.

″Nope,″ she grinned, her eyes focussing on the only part of his body that was covered with cloth, the part she craved for, the evidence of his arousal still being all clear for her to see, it made her pulse quicken its pace.

″I like the way you think, Erin Lindsay,″ he said, his voice so low it sent chills down Erin's spine, and he lowered himself onto the bed, not starting with a soft kiss this time but kissing her hard and mercilessly, his eyes dark of passion. She kissed him back just as hard, her hands sneaking around his bare, muscular back to pull him even closer.

And just like most times he already sent her over the edge with his skillful hands and fingers even before he buried himself inside of her to make love and sent them both over the edge with it...

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Erin was the first to wake up by Emilia's whining resounding from the baby monitor on the following morning around 7. She turned the volume down quickly so Jay could hopefully sleep a little bit longer, because he really needed it after so many nightshifts, and untangled herself from the sheets. She grabbed some panties from the drawer as well as one of Jay's shirts that hung over the chair next to the dresser and put it on while making her way to the nursery. She expected Crispin to be up as well already, impatiently waiting for his breakfast they first had to buy but when her eyes fell on his bed in the hallway, they only found it all empty and abandoned. She quickly checked all the possible places in the kitchen and living room out where he could hide but the dog was nowhere to be seen.

″Crispin?″ she called as quiet as possible. The young dog had to be here after all, he couldn't have simply disappeared from their locked apartment.

″Crispin?″ she called again, a little louder and more urgent this time. But the result stayed the same. No dog appeared in her picture. Instead she suddenly heard the voice of her fiancé behind her, thick of sleep.

″What's wrong?″ he asked, leaning in the doorway and stretching his Adonis-like body that was only clothed in a pair of sweatpants.

″Oh sorry, I didn't wanna wake you,″ she sighed, her hand pressed against her forehead.

″You didn't. Emmy did,″ he winked. ″So what's up?″ he asked again, wondering what kept her from getting their whining baby.

″The dog's gone,″ she shrugged like she didn't care, but her eyes gave her away as they were showing hints of concern.

″What?″ Jay uttered.

″He's not here. Or do you see him anywhere?″

″Er, he can't be anywhere but here.″

″Tell me about it. But I checked in the kitchen, under the table and behind the couch. He's not here,″ she explained. ″I'll go and get Emmy, you look for him again. Maybe he's...I honestly don't know where,″ she sighed and made her way through the hall and towards Emmy's nursery. She stopped in her tracks when she saw that the door was slightly open when she was sure she'd closed it last night but then she figured that Jay had most probably said goodnight to Emmy and had left it open.

″Hey Em-″ she said when she pushed the door open and stepped into the room but immediately stopped in her tracks yet again. ″Uhm Jaaaaayy,″ she called and watched the scene in front of her.

″Huh?″ he called back and walked into the direction of the nursery as well. ″What's wrong?″ he asked when he almost reached her.

″You didn't tell me that this dog can open doors,″ she answered all dry and her hazel eyes and his blue eyes fell on Crispin, who lay on the plush rug in front of the crib, all relaxed, not being bothered by Emilia's crying at all.

″I had no idea,″ Jay exclaimed stunned. ″Crisp what are you doing here?″

They kept on standing there in the doorway for another moment, wondering how on Earth he'd opened the door and why at all when his comfy bed was in the hallway, before Erin walked to the crib and picked Emilia up and Jay sat down on the floor next to Crispin.

″Only four-and-a-half months old and you already have a secret, male guest overnight, huh?″ Erin chuckled and kissed Emilia's rosy cheek. She looked down to Jay and Crispin, the latter enjoying Jay stroking him and looking beyond satisfied and comfortable. The insecure and scared and sad expression that had still been visible on Crispin's face last night seemed to have disappeared and it instead seemed like he enjoyed his new surroundings. And the attention Jay was giving him.

Erin didn't even know why but she just sat down cross-legged on the floor next to the two of them and pulled her shirt up so Emilia could nurse and have an early breakfast. The things that then happened neither Erin nor Jay could believe though. Crispin lifted his head when Emilia's crying lapsed into silence and regardless Jay's petting he got up and walked closer to Erin, who automatically shifted Emilia a little as she was wary of the situation and the dog basically being eye-to-eye with her. But instead of doing whatever Erin expected him to do, Crispin just lay down again on his side right next to her, his head resting on her bare knee and thigh so his head respectively neck touched Emilia's little feet.

″Uhm, okay,″ Erin said perplexedly, looking from the pup to Jay who had the same expression of astonishment on his face. ″Well buddy, I didn't expect that,″ she added smilingly and extended her free hand to stroke over the soft fur on his stomach.

″You know what I think?″ Jay asked pensively after watching this beautiful and peaceful picture in front of his eyes for a moment.

″Huh?″ Erin asked back, her hand resting on Crispin's shoulder, her fingers still tickling his fur softly.

″I think he slept in the children's room, you know, in his former home. And I think he was looking for comfort last night and although we didn't introduce him to Emilia he found her. And found comfort in her room by being close to her. I don't know whether it's the smell of a kid that reminds him of home or hearing the steady breathing of a kid but he definitely rather slept on the floor in front of her crib, like he was protecting her, than on his pillow in the hallway. And yeah, apparently this little rascal can open doors,″ he chuckled.

″Yeah, that could be it,″ Erin agreed. ″Looks like he's a smart one,″ she smiled and gazed down to Crispin again, who had his eyes closed and seemed to just enjoy the moment. There was no doubt on Erin's mind that this dog was probably the most fond of children dog in this city and whatever family would adopt him would for sure find a friend and protector for life.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After their unusual early morning session in Emilia's nursery, Jay made himself and Emilia ready for the day, put his daughter in her stroller and took Crispin for a walk, also buying at least some dog food in the store three blocks down the road on that occasion, while Erin prepared scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast.

During their breakfast, Jay suggested he would go to the pet shop and buy Crispin a couple of toys they could take to the park with them later in the afternoon when they met Will, Natalie and Owen there for a picnic. So while Erin later prepared a couple of things for aforesaid picnic, Jay went shopping.

Meanwhile, Emilia occupied herself on the playmat, squealing joyfully while exploring her toys, Crispin always lying on his side quite close to her, never leaving her side, just like a guard. In the beginning, Erin kept her eyes glued to the two of them because regardless what had happened earlier this morning, regardless that he was so fond of children, Crispin was still a strange dog they didn't really know. He was only around two years old and the kids he'd lived with were 4 and 5 years old, so he didn't exactly know babies. And Emilia was in that age where she started to grab for everything, so Erin didn't know how he would react if Emmy pulled on his fur, neither did she want the situation come close to this possibility. But Crispin intuitively kept a little bit of distance between himself and Emilia and as she couldn't crawl yet, she had no chance to reach him. Once again Erin couldn't help but think that the young dog was guarding her somehow and so she started trust him a little more and furthermore started to relax a little bit and was therefore able to get the preparations for the picnic done.

When she was finished, she joined Emilia and Crispin down on the floor, picked her daughter up, held her under her arms and let her stand on her thighs which Emilia loved. Erin somehow had the feeling that her daughter would be an early walker and would start to explore the world on her own feet sooner than most babies and sooner than they wanted her to.

″Crispin come here,″ she told the young dog and he looked up instantly by the sound of his name, like he's been waiting for her permission to join them, and of course he listened and followed her order. She settled Emilia in her lap and ordered Crispin to lie down right next to them.

″So my boy, this is Emilia but I guess you already know her, right?″ she smiled and petted his head. ″Emilia, this is Crispin and he's going to live with us for a couple of days, so it's time you get to know each other properly,″ she added and lifted her baby closer to the dog so the two of them could interact a little.

Erin firmed her hand around Emilia's arm so she could guide her little hand to Crispin's back. The moment she touched the soft fur, she squealed joyfully and seemed to be completely fascinated. Emilia quickly reached out with her other hand to bury it in Crispin's fur as well. Every once in a while Erin changed Emilia's position so she could also explore Crispin's neck and head and even when she twisted his fur in her little fists and pulled on his fur, Erin strictly telling her no instantly and trying to make her release the fur, he didn't seem to bother at all.

″You're such a good boy, Crisp,″ Erin said proudly, petting him once again. She had to admit, she was truly impressed and fascinated by the dog's demeanor and attitudes, maybe even more than earlier this morning when he'd surprised them for the first time.

Emilia was still occupied with touching Crispin, which was another thing that surprised Erin because all her toys were only interesting for a minute before she would trade them for the next, when Jay unlocked the door of their apartment. Erin's eyes widened in disbelief when she saw all the things he was carrying, obviously struggling to not drop anything and she wondered how he'd even managed to open the door. He had not only bought a leash and two or three toys but rather all the toys the shop had had to offer. And a bed. Of course Jay had bought Crispin a real bed. She should've known it.

Erin settled Emilia on her mat again and left her with Crispin for a minute so she could help her fiancé before he would fall over his own feet.

″So a bed, huh?″ she asked, raising her eyebrows, while her hands reached for all the toys.

″Yeah,″ he nodded. ″I mean, he needs a proper bed,″ he smirked innocently and placed the giant, fluffy bed in the hallway.

″Totally,″ Erin chuckled and shook her head. ″He definitely needs one for the few nights he's going to sleep here.″

″Exactly,″ Jay winked, actually toying with the idea of keeping Crispin and giving him a forever home themselves...

I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had writing it! Please leave a review and let me know how you liked it. Do we have a new member for the Halstead family or not? What do you think? :)