Chapter 24

As soon as Emma walks into the bar, the music she was already listening to from the sidewalk seems louder. People dance, wearing different hats and costumes. She can recognize some people from the hospital, while her gaze quickly falls on Will and Natalie, who dance in the center, smiling at each other. But she quickly sees the man she came for and goes towards him. 

"Well, Jay Halstead, you really know how to throw parties," he smiles as soon as he hears her voice and his eyes light up. 

"I told you. I have a lot of talents" He wants to hug her but holds back. 

"What happened with Kenny? Did you break the heart of an eight-year-old child?" he teases her. 

"Oh shut up" she hits his shoulder, and they laugh. 

"Well, I brought you something," she says slyly, and Jay immediately realizes what it's all about. 

"No" 

"Oh, come on Jay. Look at it," she says, pulling a devil horns headband out of her purse. 

"There's no way" 

"Why? Look, even Will's wearing a hat. And Dr. Rhodes is a pirate. You should wear something that suits you too," she continues to smile slyly towards him. 

"That suits me? No way," Jay denies, but he can't contain his laughter anymore.

"Hey, look, Emma's here," Natalie tells Will as they dance, watching the girl talk to Jay. 

When Will turns to look where his fiancée is showing him, his mouth opens in surprise. Next to the bar counter, Emma tries to wear his brother a headband with devil horns, and Jay moves to avoid her. They're both laughing. Will can't help but notice that he hasn't seen his brother so happy and carefree for a long time. His face shines, while the usual frown doesn't exist. 

"They look very cute," Natalie comments, and he nods. 

"I'm going to greet her," he tells her, and Natalie goes toward Maggie. When Will finally reaches them, he can hear his brother's laugh. How long has it been since he heard him laugh so loudly?

"Emma, you came to our party," he tells her and opens his arms to hug her. The girl immediately stops arguing with Jay and hugs the Halstead with the red hair. 

"Jay told me he organized it, and I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it" 

"Yeah, I think that he did a good job" 

"Maybe, he could have done better, they tease him, and Jay can't tell when those two came so close. But on the other hand, who didn't like her? 

"Well, that hurt," Jay says, pretending his heart hurts. 

"Then I know what can fix it," Emma tells him, waving the headband in front of him, and he sighs. 

"No," he continues to deny. 

"Come on Jay... Will, tell him something. Won't it look great on him?" Emma asks Will this time without letting it go. 

"Jay, I think she's right. Come on bro, it's Halloween" Will immediately agrees because he wants to see his little brother wear something like that, but mostly, he wants to keep seeing this side of Jay that he thought he'd never see again. Jay shakes his head negatively. 

"Come on, Jay, please, for me," she tells him, giving him the 'puppy eyes' look. Will's sure he sees Jay's eyes soften, and before he knows it, he hears his brother agree. 

"Okay, okay. But if you say it at work, you're going to need to find another partner," he threatens, but he still wears the headband. 

"My brother, cop, and the devil," Will teases him, and Jay pushes him, making Emma laugh. She liked being a witness to the moments between the two brothers. 

"Do you want anything to drink?" Jay asks, wanting to make them stop looking at him. 

"Is there anything without alcohol?" 

"I'll see what I can do about it," he winks at her and leaves, leaving her alone with Will.

"Seriously, how did you do that?" he asks her as soon as his brother is away and can't listen. Emma just shrugs her shoulders and laughs. The truth is, she didn't expect to make Jay wear it either. 

"He looks happy... I haven't seen him like this in a long time," he admits. 

"Really?" Emma asks, and the image of Jay crying in her arms comes to her mind. But at the same time, she remembers him laughing with her a lot. She'd seen him happy many times. 

"Yeah, it reminds me of Jay as he was, you know, before the army. He was more carefree. I think you're bringing this side of him again to the world" 

"I think you're exaggerating" 

"Oh, I'm not exaggerating. I mean, you saw how much he was smiling, and he agreed to wear something like that. That's a miracle. I couldn't do it even if I tried. I think no one else can. You make him happy," he tells her, and her eyes growl. 

"I found a lemonade," Jay says as he turns around, interrupting their little conversation before Emma can say anything. 

"Thank you," she says, taking the glass into her own hands. 

"I'm going to leave you two alone, and go find Natalie," Will announces. But Emma's mind doesn't stop thinking about what he told her. Did it really make him happy? Of course, she did. That's what friends do, right? 

"Emma" Jay shakes his hand in front of her eyes. 

"I'm sorry, I zoned out," she replies, returning her attention to him. 

"Do you dance like that?" she asks him, pointing to Will, who has started his dancing movements again. 

"Oh, God no," he looks at his brother, and they both burst into laughter. How could they have known that their joy would quickly be replaced by tears?

Indeed, a few days later, everything fell apart. Will almost died, and the FBI put him in protective custody, causing his marriage to Natalie to be literally annulled at the last minute, while she was still wearing her wedding dress and he was wearing his suit. Jay blamed himself for everything, avoiding any interrogation at the hospital, as he wasn't ready to face Natalie. And while Emma was there to help him, she would soon need his help.

"Victim's name is Allison Collier. Her husband is..." 

"Jason Collier. Yeah, he is Alderman for the 43rd Ward. We crossed paths way back when he was a prosecutor," Voight interrupts Emma as they leave the victim's house. 

"Sarge, this looks this was a burglary. The back door was pried open with a crowbar," Kevin says. 

"It was on the floor near Allison's body. I had Forensics send it to the crime lab, requested a rush order. Hopefully, we can pull a print," Emma informs them, 

"Why were you here?" Voight asks. 

"I was coming to the station. The weather was good, I decided to walk. A woman was outside the house screaming for help," she explains, and Jay swears at himself for not taking her today with the car. 

"The, uh, plates on the blue Honda came back to Lincoln Town car," Adam says as he approaches them. 

"How nice. So, the offender steals the plate of a random Lincoln, and he puts it on his Honda" Jay says.