A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Hope you like this chapter :)
In response to a PM we got - I don't think we established it in the first chapters, but Erin and Jay have already said I love you.
Enjoy!
Chapter 4 - Maddie
Erin rubbed her eyes as she finished the last of her paperwork. Most of the team had left, Jay was waiting for her to finish up so they could head home. There case today hadn't been too hard to solve, but Erin had extra paperwork since she had fired her weapon during their takedown. She stood up and stretched her body tiredly, grabbing her coffee cup and heading into the break room.
"Hey Jay, are you ready to -" Erin stopped short as she heard the voices coming from the room.
"You can't be serious!" Jay exclaimed "I can't believe it!"
"I swear, the amount of times I've gotten sick after swimming in that lake!" Candice laughed in response.
Erin stands in the doorway, watching the two interact, and she can feel the anger rising within her watching them. She has a bad feeling about Candice, and if there's one thing she's learnt from being a cop, it's to always trust your instinct. Jay, however, doesn't seem to share the same feelings she does. He's made a friend, and for some reason that annoys her even more.
"Am I interrupting?" Erin smiles sweetly walking into the room fully, placing her cup in the sink before standing next to Jay waiting for an answer. Jay smiles down at her laying his arm over her shoulder.
"You won't believe this Erin, Candy actually lived near me in Wisconsin!" Jay smiles at her.
"Did she really?" Erin says trying to show interest.
"Yeah, we lived one street over from each other." Candice laughs "We were reliving war stories about that lake."
"And, as I was saying, the lake is not toxic! Obviously if you don't wear proper swimwear when you go in, you're going to catch a cold."
"I had the flu! I'm telling you that lake has got something in it!" Candy giggles back.
Erin resists the urge to roll her at Candice; could this girl be any more annoying?
"So, I hate to break up the party, but I've finished all my paperwork. You ready to head home?" Erin cuts into the conversation.
Jay nods his head and looks towards Candice "This conversation is not over." He tells her with a smirk.
"We'll see about that!" Candice winks before walking out of the break room.
The moment she disappears around the corner, Jay feels Erin's arm pull away from him. His smile turns to a frown and he quickly grabs her hand before she can move away from him completely.
"Are you okay?" Jay asks softly, reaching over to push a loose strand of hair behind her ear before his hand falls to her cheek.
Erin falls into his touch, her anger dissipating for a few moments. She lets out a soft sigh before answering him.
"Just tired. It's been a long day, I'm beyond ready to curl up into bed and go to sleep."
Jay smiles gently, seemingly satisfied with her answer "Well let's get you home then."
Erin nods and Jay takes her hand in his, the two walking towards the locker room to collect their belongings and head home for the night.
Jay watches Erin as they quietly eat their dinner on the couch, the TV serving as background noise. She's been off all day, really she's been off ever since Candice arrived. But every time he asks her if she's okay, she tells him she's tired, or fine, or that it was a rough case. And while all those excuses are valid, he knows her. He knows when something's wrong.
"You should paint a picture." Erin snaps "It'll last longer."
Jay can feel his face heating up "Sorry." He says sheepishly looking at his meal.
Erin sighs putting her fork plate down on the coffee table in front of them, turning to face Jay.
"Get it out." Erin says "Whatever you're dying to say, spit it out. Because you staring is starting to creep me out."
"I can't admire my beautiful girlfriend?" Jay smirks.
Erin stares blankly at him "Don't deflect the situation Jay. Talk to me."
"Bit hypocritical wouldn't you say."
He doesn't even realize he's said it until the words are out of his mouth. His eyes widen as he looks at Erin, waiting for her reaction.
"Excuse me!?" She exclaims "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you've been acting weird for the past few days, and every single time I ask you what's wrong, you lie to my face!"
"I have not!" Erin yells back.
Jay scoffs "Oh please, I know you Erin. Something else is going on and you won't tell me what."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just -"
"Tired." Jay cuts her off "That's not it and you know it. You've been acting weird ever since Candy arrived. Is that what this is about."
"... This is ridiculous. I'm going to bed." Erin said jumping up off the couch and heading to their bedroom.
"It is isn't it!? You don't like her!" Jay exclaimed following after her.
"Forget about it, I'm going to bed."
Jay stopped in his spot at the entry to their bedroom, watching as Erin changed into her nightwear; aggressively opening and shutting each drawer and cupboard she looked through in the process. It was all falling into place in his mind; her affectionate touches and holds every time Candice was around, how she'd be distant and annoyed with him when she saw them talking. He couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face.
"Erin Lindsay, are you jealous?"
"Please. What do I have to be jealous of?" Erin scoffed, mumbling "Just because she loves to flirt with everything that moves."
Jay lets out a soft laugh "You're actually jealous."
Erin glares at him "You keep laughing at me, see what it gets you."
Jay lifts his hands up in surrender, slowly walking towards the bed where Erin is now tucked under the blankets facing him. He cautiously lays down on top of the blankets, bringing one arm to lay over her waist and tucking the other one under his head to rest on.
"You know you have nothing to worry about, right?" Jay whispers into the quiet.
Erin sighs softly " She's too flirty with you.I don't like it."
Jay pulls her closer so that her body is snug against his, holding her tight "But I'm not flirting back Erin. She can try all she wants, I'm not going to make a move. Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do!" She exclaims locking her eyes with his "I just ... I don't trust her."
"You don't have to Erin, you just have to know that I would never do anything. I love you so much Erin Lindsay, more than you'll ever know. At the risk of scaring you off, you're the only one I want to be with. I'm not going anywhere, no matter what."
Erin smiles "You could never scare me off."
"Really? Because I'm pretty sure the first time I tried to make us a serious thing, you bolted."
"Hey!" Erin smacks her hand against his chest "That's not fair, we'd been dating for like a month!"
Jay laughs "That's true."
Erin lets out a little laugh as well, laying her head on his chest, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.
"Erin." Jay says.
"Hhmm?" She mumble, eyes still shut.
"Are we okay?"
Erin places a kiss against his shirt-covered chest, nodding her head slightly "We're more than okay."
"I love you." He mumbles tiredly.
Erin smiles "I know. I love you too."
A/N: So, I know it was a bit of a quick resolution, but there's still some more drama to come ...
Please review if you're reading they make us so happy and we love knowing what our readers think of the story and what they'd like to see happen :)
