After being inspired by a few other wonderful writers in the fandom, I decided to start my own series of one-shots centered around Linstead. All of the prompts are listed down below so be sure to stay tuned!
A - Anniversary
Hank was right about one thing when he said that she's been leaving a trail of broken hearts behind her since she was fifteen years old. She's never stayed with anyone long enough for an anniversary to be celebrated so when her first with Jay is approaching, she begins to feel the tightness in her chest that indicates panic because she doesn't know what to expect. Doesn't know what he expects.
B - Book
He's looking for a place to store their newly purchased cookbooks in the kitchen cabinets when he spots a volume that he knows without a doubt doesn't belong to either of them. He must have made a sound that alerted her in the next room because she's approaching him before he's decided what to do with it.
C - Crash
He isn't paying attention to his surroundings when he crashes into a small, warm body that lets out a grunt of surprise as it bounces off his chest and onto the ground.
D - Destroyed
It takes a moment before it really hits her. The sound of the door clicking shut wakes her up from the shock of what just transpired and then she realizes he's gone. And she's not sure if he's ever coming back. She nearly collapses under the staggering weight of that thought.
E - Engagement
He isn't as nervous as he thought he would be when he calls Hank and asks to speak to him privately when he's free. With all the chaos that their every day consists of, this is one of the only things he's sure of. Speaking to Hank is merely a sign of his respect for the father figure in his girl's life.
F - Future
They talk about it in the dark sanctuary of their bedroom when they're huddled close together before drifting off to sleep with smiles on their faces and contentment in their hearts.
G - Gunshot
With her, the difference between her saying she's okay and her actually being okay is huge. It's the fact that she, for the first time, has openly admitted to him that she isn't okay that makes him follow her outside the bar while shooting a quick text to Adam to let him know.
H - Hank
She comes to in a dark room and the stifling silence makes her head pound with the help of an excruciating pain she's suffering in the aftermath of whatever was used to knock her out. She can already tell without looking down that she's been restrained and so she gathers up all her willpower to remain strong because she can hear footsteps echoing outside the door.
I - Isolation
They've reached hour two of being trapped when he starts to feel his limbs go numb. The last thing he wants to do is alarm Erin, though, so he keeps it to himself and pulls her closer.
J - Jealousy
It isn't until he's been sleeping on Will and Nina's couch for a month that he realizes what the feeling gnawing away at his chest every time he sees them together is. He'd never had any reason to feel it before and so it takes him by surprise the moment he recognizes it.
K - Kisses
Those stolen little moments are what keep him going when they work tough cases. To know that they'll end their night with sweet kisses when they actually get a chance to go home and catch whatever sleep they can before they have to head back in mere hours later make the exhaustion worth it.
L - Loss
If there's one thing they can relate to on a deeper level it's loss. They've both lost very important people in their lives - separately and together - but there's something about this time that feels different than all the rest. Something more deeply scarring.
M - Missing
His first thought upon waking up is that something is wrong. Something is missing and all it takes is one look at his hand for him to come to the horrified realization as to what that is.
N - Nadia
One late night, when the pain no longer feels as crippling, she asks him as they lay in bed what he thinks would have become of Nadia if she had never interfered in her life.
O - Oxygen
She never knew she could be consumed with such need for another person. She had never needed anyone the same way she needed oxygen but he was the air she breathed. He was her sweet release.
P - Past
Sometimes, late at night when she watches his peaceful face to stop the buzzing of her chaotic mind, she wonders how he can know so much about her past and still regard her as the best person he has ever met.
Q - Quirky
Jay Halstead is many things and it's not until they start living together that she realizes there is one word that she never thought could be used to describe him that encompasses who he is entirely.
R - Rain
Their first real fight as a couple is a total cliche. A part of her registers that while this is happening and enjoys it. Up until she met him she never even thought she would get to experience a real relationship let alone the cliches that sometimes come along with one.
S - Scrabble
It's weird that a family board game has such a significant meaning in their relationship.
T - Touch
One of his favorite things about her is the beautiful heart she has. On the streets and at work she is a badass, take-charge woman and he loves it. With him, she is tender and loving. No one would ever believe him if he told them but he's fine with that because it's a part of her he wants to keep for himself.
U - Understanding
The look in her eyes the first time he tells her more about his time overseas and the thoughts that plague him every single day on the job confirm for him what she said that night he put the distance between them. Whatever it is, she can handle it.
V - Vest
The first time he does up her vest for her, and she does his in return, the rest of the unit pauses their own monotonous motions and stares, unsure of what is happening. As time wears on, they are left alone to their little ritual because it gives them peace of mind and makes them work more efficiently to know that they have secured the one thing that can save their partner's life.
W - Wisconsin
She would say she's not sure how she let him convince her to spend the rare long weekend they have off on a trip to Wisconsin but they both know she'll do anything he asks when he looks at her with unconstrained excitement shining in those baby blues.
X - XXXIII
Birthdays had never been something she made a big deal of when it came to herself. For him, she was eager to find the perfect gift or do something great, especially the year before when she wasn't even sure if they were still together and thoughts of that boy had been torturing her non-stop; because he was the best person she knew and he deserved only good things.
Y - Yates
She's finally at a place where she can think back on all the beautiful memories she and Nadia created in the home that was theirs before it was hers and Jay's without guilt consuming her very soul when they land a case that makes her blood freeze in her veins.
Z - Zipper
There's something satisfying about sliding down the zipper on a dress that he had been itching to get her out of from the moment she stepped out of their bedroom.