They gave him three days to give them an answer, and two have already come and gone. The only thing holding him back is Erin. They've been partners since they graduated from the academy and he can't imagine anyone else having her back. They've both wanted to talk about it but it seems every time one of them goes to bring it up something of greater priority comes up.

After wrapping up their case, Erin looks over at his desk and he turns towards her. His eyebrows knit together and silently ask her what's going on.

"My place or yours?" She asks and he smiles.

"It's up to you." He replies simply.

"I asked you."

"Fine, mine." He says as he stands from his chair.

"What time does the game start tonight?"

"There is no game tonight."

"What? Isn't it the tenth?" Her nose crinkles in confusion.

"The tenth was yesterday."

"Oh then what am I coming over for?"

"I may have recorded it last night."

"Did you already watch it?" She asks.

"No."

"Ok I'll see you in a bit" She says and he nods.

XXXXXX

He beats her there and takes a shower, knowing she'll use her key to get in when he doesn't answer. When he gets out, he wraps a towel around his waist and walks to his dresser. The sound of glass breaking has him rushing to the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry." Erin says as she grabs the broom and dustpan. Not even looking at him before sweeping up the clear shards.

"It's ok, are you alright?" He asks, concerned, as she dumps the glass into the waste bin. She replaces the broom and dustpan before finally looking at him. She nods and he chuckles as her eyes roam over bare chest and torso.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She mumbles as she watches a drop of water slowly roll down his tattooed peck and over his abs before disappearing into the fabric of the towel. "I'm fine." She adds. As she looks up at his eyes, he doesn't miss the faint blush on her cheeks.

"Ok well I'm going to get dressed then."

"Ok." She replies almost shyly.

XXXXXX

He throws on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants before making his way back out to the kitchen where she is still standing against the white and grey granite of the countertop.

"Did you get your glass of water yet?"

"No, I didn't want to bre-" She begins but he doesn't let her finish, moving to stand right in front of her. Her chest is flush against his abdomen as he reaches over her to grab a glass. When he brings the glass down he looks at her; their breathing seems to get heavier as their eyes meet, neither of them making an attempt to move. Clearing his throat, he hands her the glass and steps back.

"Thanks." She murmurs, and he nods, reaching into the fridge for two brown bottles. He takes the top off of one and offers it to her while she's still filling her glass.

"No thanks." She says.

He looks as if he's going to question her and she takes a deep breath to prepare herself. He places the back of his hand on her forehead.

"What are you doing?" She chuckles.

"I'm just seeing if you're coming down with a fever." He says seriously.

Erin pushes his hand away playfully. "I'm fine Jay, I just don't really want a beer."

He seems to accept it, or so she thinks. But he knows there's something she's not telling him. He also knows that she'll tell him when she's ready. He puts the second bottle back in the fridge and walks around the counter, into the living room.

"So when do you start in your new unit?" She asks as she sits criss cross on the couch.

He stands off to the side, turning the TV on. Her question takes him by surprise; he wasn't expecting her to be the one to bring it up. He sets the remote down before he even turns the game on and sits down next to her. "I haven't taken it yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I haven't accepted the position yet."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you first, make sure you're ok with it?"

"Of course I'm ok with it Jay." She says, even if she doesn't believe it herself. "And even if I wasn't I'd hope you would still take the job, this is huge for you."

"Yeah but you're my partner and you've always been my partner."

"And what kind of partner would I be if I knowingly held you back from an opportunity like this?"

"It's just hard to imagine someone else having your back. I'm going to miss working with you."

"Me too, but you need to take this Jay. You're the best person for this job." She says with a smile. He looks away from her and down at the bottle in his hands,; picking at the label. The couch moves a little as she gets up, but he keeps his eyes cast down. She comes back quickly,; standing directly in front of him.

"Call Edwards." She orders while offering him his phone.

"I'll call in the morning."

"Why not call him now?" She questions and he finds it adorable how her eyebrows furrow slightly. "Come on, then we can watch the game."

He takes the phone and lets out a sigh as he dials the numbers. His thumb hovers over the green button before she presses it for him. She also puts it on speaker and the director answers on the second ring.

"What can I do for you Halstead?"

"I called to let you know that I'll-" Jay starts but pauses as he looks up at Erin. Her smile disappears when he gives her a concerned look. She waves her hand to urge him to continue. "I called to accept your offer sir."

"Excellent, you start Monday." The director says, and Erin's heart sinks a little. She's happy for him but she can't lie and say she won't miss him. Jay hangs up and puts the phone down on the table, looking up at her when she doesn't move or say anything. He can see she's processing what they heard and he gives her a minute before his hand reaches for hers and gives it a quick, gentle squeeze, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Hey." He whispers. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm going to miss you." She shrugs, really wishing she could have a beer as she plops down on the cushion next to him.

"It's not like we're never going to see each other, we'll still have this, watching every game like this." He replies.

"Yeah but we're not going to be partners anymore." She says and they're eyes lock on each other's. "It's just going to be weird." She adds as she looks down. He moves closer to her, placing his hand on her knee and squeezing gently.

"You'll always be my first and favorite partner." He whispers into her ear causing her to chuckle sadly. "Always." He repeats, placing a quick kiss to her temple. Eventually they pull apart and Jay picks the remote back up.

Their bodies remain close to each other even as he starts the game. He's the one that falls asleep this time,; the upper half of his body is sunken into the back of the worn leather couch and his head is leaning to the side. She thinks about just covering him with a blanket and sneaking out, but she doesn't want him to be sore so she shakes his shoulder. His long eyelashes flutter before his blue green eyes slowly open.

"Hey, I'm going to head out but I didn't want you to be hurting when you woke up."

"Oh uh, thanks." He mumbles, his voice already laced with sleep. He nods, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Goodnight Jay."

"Goodnight."

XXXXXX

She goes straight to her room to change but she only gets her shoes and pants off before the picture on her nightstand stops her. She sits down on the edge of her bed and picks up the frame, bringing it closer so that the bottom is resting against her stomach. The corners of her lips curl up into a sad smile as she looks down at the old photo. She's sitting on her desk, her arms wrapped loosely around Jay's shoulders as he leans against the desk between her legs. Both of them are facing the camera with huge grins— they had just been promoted to Detectives. She feels some excitement for him now, but there's a hint of sadness too, knowing she won't be seeing his smiling face every day.