Hailey's POV

Another fire.

Another tragedy.

This time, at the Lakeside VA clinic. The Feds are all over the case now. But without a name, we aren't any closer to finding this arsonist. Everything about him is calculated – the locations, times of the fires, and how they are set. Something is driving him, an objective in mind. This pyromaniac is not a thrill seeker, suggesting he will continue to escalate until he finally gets whatever it is he's after.

Jay comes home exhausted, emotionally and physically. Working that crime scene today probably took him back to his time overseas – to all the pain and death. I go to him and wrap my arms around him, leaning my cheek against his shoulder. My heart breaks for my war vet.

"Is there anything I can do to help? Tell me what you need," I ask.

I feel him exhale slowly, resting his cheek against my hair. "I'll be fine, Hailey. It was just one of those days," he says, the sadness in his voice clear.

He plants a kiss on my hair, then rubs my belly affectionately. Wordlessly, he walks in the direction of the bathroom, and minutes later, I hear the shower running. I shuffle down the hallway and open the bathroom door a fraction, peeking inside. I see Jay in the shower, facing the tiled wall, letting the hot water pound on him. Something inside of me coils like an overwound watch spring, and it cranks a notch tighter at the sight of him – head bowed, shoulders sagging, posture full of defeat.

I quietly disrobe and go join him.

I snuggle up to his back, pressing myself as best I can to him. The muscles in his body are tense and pulsating with restless energy. I gently run my hands up and down his back, my nails barely grazing his skin. I touch my lips to the curving depression between his shoulder blades and kiss a trail along his spine. Gradually, I feel his body relax a little, losing that unnatural rigidity.

"Babe, tell me what you need," I ask again.

Jay turns to face me, and we both gaze into each other's eyes – a perfect flow of wordless communication between us. He reaches for my hair tie and gently slides it down my messy bun, letting my hair fall loosely over my shoulders and around my face. He runs his fingers through it, holding it off my face. "You're all I need."

This small moment feels more intimate than all the kissing in the world. I lean forward, plant a kiss on his chest, then slowly (because that's my default setting now) ease to my knees, catching him by surprise.

"Hailey?"

"Let me," I tell him.

I encircle him and stroke my hand up and back over his length – he groans. I lick my tongue along the underside of his shaft and slide back up circling the crest. I tease him a bit more before I finally taken him into my mouth and begin to work him. Playing and sucking and finding a rhythm that has his hands entangling in my hair and pleasure escaping his throat.

I try to increase the pace, but the weight of my pregnant belly is putting pressure on my back and throwing me off balance. I begin to slip and Jay is quick to notice. He slips out of my mouth and pulls me up.

"Hey, I wasn't—"

"—I can't have you falling," he says and starts to rub my back, almost as if he knows its sore. "How's that?" He leans forwards and kisses my collarbone, his hands working behind me.

"Perfect, but I want you." My words come out in a breathless whisper.

Jay claims my mouth then, tugging my lips between his in the way that I love. He spins me, so I'm facing the shower stall, and pulls my hips toward him, holding onto me so that I don't slip. He leans down slightly, and I can feel his breath on my neck, ever so gently. He drops tiny kisses along my neck and shoulders, his lips light, his touch fleeting.

"Is this okay?" He asks, trickling his fingernails down my back.

"Yeah," I answer breathlessly.

"Tell me the instant that changes," he whispers.

I nod, and then he is over me, one hand cupping my breast, the other urging my legs apart. He enters me slowly, gently, increasing in intensity once he is sure I'm good – which I am. There's no pain, just a complete satisfying sense of being full to the brim…with him, our child, with happiness and love.

He pants softly against my neck as he begins to move, slowly, so, so slowly, rocking in and out of me. The shower fills with steam and I press my palms against the tiled wall, savoring the feeling. A gentle rhythm builds as our bodies move away and come back together. Sparks crackle under my skin, lighting me up. I tip my head back onto his shoulder, and a sharp, "Ah!" escapes my throat, but it blends into a longer whimper as his teeth graze my earlobe.

"You sure you're okay?" he asks huskily.

"More than okay," I pant up, and feel his hot breath against my skin.

My breaths get shorter and quicker, and involuntary little gasps escape my mouth. I feel my release building as Jay finally increases the pace. He is everywhere at once, wired directly to my nervous system: a sensory overload that tears me apart from the inside out. My body trembles and we come unglued together in a blur of sensations. I love him. I love him so much.

Jay keeps his arms wrapped around me, pressing sweet, sucking kisses against the back of my neck. Then, his right hand comes to my face and he slowly spins me around. "You're my whole life, Hailey. You are everything to me," he says pressing his forehead to mine.

I frame his face in my hands, pressing my lips to his. "I love you."

"Love you, too. Both of you."

Jay's POV

I lay in bed as the sun comes up and watch a beam of light cross Hailey's face. I stroke her hair on the side of her head and stare at her beautiful peaceful face. I really don't deserve someone like her, but I'm so glad I'm the one she wants. Last night when she stepped into the shower and wrapped me in her arms, it nearly shattered me. Hailey loves so effortlessly that I'm constantly amazed she is mine to love and cherish.

I glance at the clock and my heart sinks when I realize I have to head into work early. This case is taking a toll on me – on everyone. It's not enough to say I'm tired. Exhausted, delirious, drained may be, nothing so trivial as tired. I can't remember the last time I slept through the night. The silver lining? I get to feel our son move all night long when Hailey's belly is pressed right up against my back. Sometimes, I lift her pajama top and watch her stomach quiver with lumps and bumps protruding and retreating. It's amazing.

I kiss Hailey's forehead and slide my arms out from underneath her. I quietly dress and head into work. When I arrive, Erin is there, head in a stack of papers. It's still sort of weird having her around. In some ways, it feels like I've traveled back in time.

"Morning," I say.

"Oh, hey," her head pops up. "Don't get too comfy. We're meeting a CI in Bridgeport. He is tapped in with the Disciples and says a guy came around looking for blasting caps."

"Do you think that's our guy?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. There's only one way to find out."

We hop in the rig and drive to the south side of Chicago. It's December and cold. The wind is bitter and unforgiving. The trees are bare and a sheet of ice covers the entire city, making everything seem breakable.

"This feels weird, being in a car with you again," Erin admits.

"It does feel strange," I agree. "It's like I've gone back in time to that one day you let me drive."

"I let you drive plenty," she counters.

We arrive at our destination and I park the rig on the side of the road. My phone lights up with a notification and from my periphery I can see Erin's eyes wander towards it. It's a weekly alert from the baby app that tracks the baby's growth.

"The baby is the size of an eggplant," she intones.

My lips stretch into a smile, imaging an eggplant with arms and legs poking Hailey from the inside. "I guess he is," I say. "A couple weeks ago he was the size of a cauliflower head."

"Why is a baby's growth always compared to food?"

I chuckle and shrug my shoulders. "I guess it's better than comparing it to immanent objects. 'Your baby is the size of a coffee cup this week.'"

Erin laughs, and an awkward silence follows before she clears her throat, "So, how's the baby preparations going?"

"Good. Good. I put the crib together a few days ago. It sort of made things more official," I answer. "Not that it wasn't official before, it's just that now he has a bed."

Erin chuckles, "I bet Will is super excited to be an uncle."

"Yes, he is. He's being weirdly overzealous, but Hailey thinks it's endearing."

A small smile appears on her lips and her eyes become distant and unfocused. Despite being apart for a few years, I still can tell when she has something on her mind. "What is it?"

Erin turns to me and releases a little half-chuckle. "Very perceptive of you." She pauses, hesitating, a flush welling up on her cheek. "I've been actually meaning to apologize to you for the way I left. I know it might not mean much after all these years, but you deserved better."

"Oh, uh…" I stumble with my words. "It's okay. You were put in a tough spot," I say, trying my best to appear unaffected by her unexpectedly declaration.

She shakes her head. "Still, I could've done things differently. You were the last person I wanted to hurt."

"Seriously, it's okay. Water under the bridge," I say. "Things worked out in the end," I remind her.

She releases a sigh then, which is punctuated by a soft chuckle. "You know, sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I'd stayed."

I think about how I carried my mom's ring in my pocket for a week waiting for her to call me. "Well, I was going to propose to you," I blurt out before I can catch myself. Erin blinks, shock registering on her face, and I immediately realize my mistake.

"What?" she asks.

I wrack my brain for something to say, anything to deflect from the weight of that statement. "Look, you were going through a lot, and I wanted to be there for you. My solution was to propose to you."

Erin does some more blinking, still stunned by my words.

Thinking fast, I add, "It was naive for me to think a proposal would solve all our problems. You never needed saving, anyway. Good thing I didn't, right?"

"Yeah," she finally intones. A small smile appears on her face, but it doesn't erase the tinge of melancholy I see there. She's silent for a moment, then says, "Why didn't you?"

I shrug, "Never found the right moment."

"Right," Erin nods slowly.

I used to think about what would have happened if I had asked Erin to marry me. But then I look back and I'm glad I never got the chance. Despite being in love with Erin, I never managed to let her in all the way. I just couldn't. But that changed when I met Hailey. She broke down all my barriers. I let Hailey in. I wanted to let her in.

"Everything worked out," I repeat.

"I guess they did."

We meet with the CI, but he doesn't give us anything we don't already have. I feel like a gerbil in a wheel—run, run, run, no traction, no ground covered. We drive back disappointed – but I have a feeling Erin's disappointment extends beyond the case.

x

We walk up to the bullpen empty handed. But being greeted by Hailey's warm smile is like applying a soothing balm over my ragged nerves.

"Hi," I return the smile.

"I got us lunch." She holds a fast-food bag and a box with at least a dozen donuts. "Before you jump down my throat about nutritional value, there are four of the basic food groups in this bag. The box contains the necessary food group for the soul."

"The soul?"

"The cop soul," she says, proud of her own joke.

She gives me a grin, and irresistible dimples. I lean forward and peck her lips. "Let me submit this report to Trudy and I will meet you in the kitchen."

"You go it."

It takes me a few minutes to fill-out and submit the report, and when I enter the kitchen, the food is there, but Hailey isn't. I find her in the locker room, standing there with arms crossed over her belly, face calm. Her eyes, however, are livid, burning with anger.

"Everything okay?" I ask and reach for her, but she pulls away. Her eyes look deep into mine and I get the feeling that she's searching for something, trying to read me. But I'm not sure what. "Hailey, what's wrong?"

She sighs. "You were going to propose to Erin," she says, and it isn't a question but a statement.

"Wait, what?" I ask perplexed.

"Erin said you were going to propose to her," Hailey repeats, her voice sharper this time.

I try to process her words, feeling completely blindsided.

"Jay..."

Hailey's voice brings me back with a jolt. "I-I thought about it, but didn't. Hailey," I reach for her again, but she holds her hands up, placing a protective barrier between us. Tears fill her eyes. She's angry, but most of all she looks hurt.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to hear it from your ex-girlfriend?"

"I-I don't… It didn't think it was important because I never actually proposed."

Hailey bites her lip, shaking her head. "You loved her enough to want to propose to her. It's important, Jay."

"Hailey, it was a knee jerk reaction from an insecure guy whose life was crumbling before his eyes."

She looks away, stifling a sob. "Do you still have feelings for her?"

"What? Hailey, no!" I say resolutely. Where is this coming from? "This is crazy, Babe. I love you. And only you. How can you even question that?"

She shakes her head. "You should have told me."

"Fine, you're right. I should have told you that I thought of proposing to my ex-girlfriend." There's probably too much bite in my tone, but I can't help myself. This is insane.

Hailey looks up at me with tears rolling down her face. "With this ring?" she asks, holding up her hand.

I release a deep sigh and nod.

Her mouth opens but no sound comes out. I wince when her face crumbles. "Hailey—" I begin, but Adam pops his head inside the locker room.

"Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt, but we have another fire."

"Oh, okay," I say, watching Hailey turns away. I know she's been extra sensitive lately and maybe it will be best if we let the dust settle before we pick this up again. Maybe, she'll come to her senses and realize just how insane this is.

We hotfoot to the bullpen where Voight is doing a quick debrief. "There is a fire in an abandoned warehouse in Roger's Park. Chief Bonden says it has the same signature as the other fires set by the arsonist."

"Doesn't seem like his usual target," Rojas notes.

"We might have a copycat," Kim says.

Voight pinches his temples between his thumb and forefinger as if he can squeeze the answer out of his head, "We won't know until we get here. I want everyone on scene."

I look to Hailey, but she's avoiding all eye contact with me.

"Olive and Danny?" I hear Erin ask Voight. "They need to be at the airport by 6:00."

"I can drop them off," Hailey offers, her face blank, stoic even. "It's no trouble," she adds.

"Thank you, Hailey. I will let Olive know," Voight says. "Let's roll out."

I walk over to Hailey's desk and I just look at her for a moment, not sure what to say. I settle for, "See you at home?"

She nods and for a brief moment, something swims across her eyes that is yielding and soft. I seize the opportunity and take her hand in mine. She doesn't pull away as I thought she might. "I promise we'll talk this out."

She nods again, eyes glazed. "You shouldn't make them wait," she says.

I squeeze her hand leave her with an, "I love you."

Hailey's POV

I love you, too.

I fight back the tears but to no use – they course down my cheeks uninterrupted. All these emotions I'm feeling are so raw that I can't focus. I just feel so sad and angry and hurt. Erin's comment triggered something inside me that I can't explain.

"Now that's a feast," Erin said entering the kitchen.

"Going for comfort foods, since I'm always uncomfortable nowadays," I said and hissed when the baby kicked hard. "He is just doing his afternoon calisthenics," I explained.

She chuckled. "Can't imagine what it's like growing a mini Jay."

"I'm sure I'm all bruised up inside," I joked.

"Thanks for taking the bullet. To think it could've been me had Jay gone through with his proposal."

I'm hurt that Jay didn't tell me he almost proposed to Erin. It's a rather significant detail to overlook. You don't give your mother's ring to anyone, right? Am I being irrational? Maybe it's my hormones speaking, I don't care. My tears are real; the pain I feel is very real.

I pull myself together and after shift, I drive to Voight's house. Once I get there, I notice the house is completely dark. I walk up the front steps and notice the door is slightly open.

"Olive," I call, "It's Hailey."

No answer.

"Olive?"

I push the door open and walk inside. I blindly move along the wall looking for a light switch. When I finally locate one, I hear a loud shriek followed by something hitting the floor hard. Olive? My hand instinctively goes to my holster, except I'm not wearing one.

I tiptoe towards the bottom of the stairs and see a shadowy figure moving upstairs. Adrenaline rushes through every inch of my being. However, for the first time it feels foreign and fear overtakes me. I grab my phone from my back pocket and text Jay. Need backup. Voight's house. Now!

I need to get out of here. I walk back towards the front door, but stop when I hear heavy footsteps coming down. I tread back down the hall towards what I think is the kitchen, where I find the back door. With trembling hands, I tug on the handle but it doesn't budge. In the darkness, my heart beats quickly, and I begin to strategize ways to get out. But to my surprise, I hear the creek of the front door opening, followed by the slam of it shutting.

I tread back down the hall and peek out the window. The intruder is standing on the lawn with a gas can. I watch helplessly as he starts dumping the gas over the front porch. He disappears to the side of the house, but comes back and lights a match. Immediately, a wall of flames starts to build a barrier between the porch and the house. He stands there, watching the flames grow.

I stumble back, terrified. I need to find Olive and Danny. I go upstairs and discover Olive sprawled on the floor, blood coming from one side of her head. She's breathing, but unconscious. Now, where's Danny?

"Danny!" I call. "Danny!"

No answer.

We need to get out of here. The smoke is already billowing into the house.

"Olive, you need to wake up! Olive!" I pat her face a few times to make her come to, but she's unresponsive. The flames spread through the house, crackling and building. The heat is becoming unbearable. I'm having a tough time breathing without choking. I put a hand protectively over my belly; I have to get out of here. I grab Olive's legs and pull her into the closest room.

The night is disappearing around the house, the flames lighting up the lawn like daylight. Somewhere in the house something crashes, bringing me back. We have to get out. I pull on Olive's legs, getting her near a window. Then, a blast like a bomb goes off and rattles the whole house. We don't have much time, I'm not sure we have any. The baby is kicking and moving around like a miniature earthquake in my stomach.

"Olive! Please wake up! We need to get out of here!" Come on, come on! Slowly, Olive opens her eyes, coughing as smoke fills her lungs. "That's it. C'mon, Olive. We need—" I try to speak, but a fit of cough steals the words. "We need to get out. The house is on fire!"

Olive starts, disoriented. "D-Danny, where's Danny? I-I told him to run! T-There's a man… He, He—"

"Danny probably ran out," I tell her, thinking of the opened front door when I arrived. "Now we need to find a way out!"

Wood crackles and spits. Smoke billows and sting my eyes and throat. A siren wails nearby.

I pull the window open and smoke pours out into the night. We need to climb down somehow. I pull Olive to her knees, blood dripping from her head. "Do you think you can climb out?" I ask, and she nods. Slowly, she clambers out, one leg at a time. The smoke pouring out the window is thick, and I lose sight of her.

"Olive!" I call, but I'm racked by a fit of coughing. I can't breathe. "Olive!" I try again.

Nothing.

I grit my teeth, trying to prop myself out of the window, but my arms won't lift me. The smoke is filling my chest, sizzling out my nose, and stealing every bit of the oxygen inside my lungs. I'm so lightheaded I can no longer keep myself upright. My body gives away and I slump to the floor with a dull thud. This excruciating pain comes from around my back into my stomach and the baby balls up in a knot. I want to scream, but I can't. All I can do is cough, my lungs burning and heaving. I place my hands protectively over my stomach and close my eyes.

The sirens grow louder now, almost deafening. I can feel myself about to fade when something bangs on the window and glass shatters, falling like rain around me. Shards of glass sting my arms. Hands reach in, and a voice yells, what? I can't tell. Slowly, I feel myself being pulled up and away just as everything fades.

Thank you for reading! This chapter basically wrote itself (love me some drama), I hope you guys liked it. It's always lovely to hear from you guys. I appreciated the reviews. Cheers, D.

*Working as fast as I can to get the next ch. out*