Chapter Title: "Rhiannon"by Fleetwood Mac
An enormous THANK YOU for your enthusiastic reactions to the last chapter and I might add: we've reached 60! followers, I am so thrilled!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Chicago PD, Fire or Med characters, only my OCs!
Despite the emotional and crazy day they had had, Jay had slept through the night, he only woke up way earlier than Rianne.
Carefully removing her from his chest to not wake her he got up and took a long shower, trying to wash away some of the inner turmoil yesterday had left him with and further clear his head. He put his sweats on afterwards and took a look around now that dawn was breaking outside, lights flowing in through his blinds and curtains. Somehow he waited for panic to set in, because come to think of it: No woman had ever moved her stuff into his place up until now. But strangely he didn't mind the female touch and take-over at all.
Somehow they had managed to cram all of Rianne's stuff into the, in comparison to the loft, tiny apartment yesterday night.
Thankfully she had only brought parts of her wardrobe. Which were nonetheless just as many clothes as he probably had altogether, and as he knew that she would certainly be using his as well Jay wondered what he'd be wearing in the future. Somehow even that made him smile.
There wouldn't be any space left in his bedroom had she brought one suitcase more of those flimsy dresses, skirts, pants and tops, accessories and countless boots.
His bath certainly looked more lived in too; even if the broken door somehow tarnished the image of those nicely arranged colorful toiletries and hair-products now cluttering his shelves. As if she hadn't just moved in, it seemed those things had been there for far longer.
One corner of his living-room resembled more a music studio right now and when Jay went into the kitchen he saw that she had also brought her own maccinetta and espresso powder.
It actually made him shake his head in amusement and wonder why he didn't freak out at all. He'd been absolutely honest yesterday when he'd said that he didn't need any space from her. On the contrary: Jay was glad she was finally confident enough with him to make herself at home here.
Límon had also taken over his throne as the king of the homestead and chosen the window seat to be his lookout point, his scruffy tail twitching constantly while he was watching the latest news down on Claremont Ave.
Great, now he had a dirty-white cat in his kitchen window, who would have thought...
Límon's attention switched to him suddenly while Jay was making some coffee. At one point he even imagined the animal winked at him for whatever reason.
Rianne's furry companion and him seemed to have reached the agreement that they would keep an eye on each other from a safe distance for the time being until they had figured the other one out. Jay was graciously allowed to feed him and Límon chose when to grace him with a little bit more of his attention from time to time by coiling himself around Jay's legs, mostly when Rianne was not around.
Warm arms and hands snaked around his body from behind, fingers gently squeezing the skin over his ribcage, lips pressed to his shoulder blades:
"Hm… good morning… I love that you're so in to being semi-naked all the time…"
A big fat grin spread over his face, he just loved her purring voice in the morning.
"I told you I spend a lot of my time off looking like this…" he squeezed her hand with his, with the other one pouring the coffee into a mug.
He didn't get to organizing a second one, because he heard her get excited behind him and jump up and down:
"Is that fresh coffee I smell? Did you use my favorite moka?"
"Yes, and yes!"
Before he could react Rianne reached around him to snatch the cup out of his hands, almost making him spill it over her: "Gimme, gimme, gimme!"
"Jesus girl, it's still freaking hot. How can a person be so coffeeine-addicted? You should be shaking all of the time!"
Jay had always thought he drank a lot of coffee, although it mostly was the badly fabricated stuff at the district that contained more water than flavor. But Rianne gave him a run for his money on that one. She hoisted herself up on the kitchen island, his shirt she was wearing slipping up over her hips indecently and indulged in the smell of the freshly brewed beverage, almost dipping her nose into the mug. Then she took a sip, closing her eyes, lashes fluttering in pure bliss:
"Hm…you're actually getting better at this… my coffee-making-lessons are paying off!"
"Let me try it!"
He could have gotten his own mug, but it was more fun this way. Putting up a fight about not wanting to share her coffee at first, Rianne then carefully "fed" him some. Then she put the mug aside, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him thoroughly. Stepping between her legs, his hands wandered up and down her naked thighs, creating goose-bumps on her skin. Jay thought he could get used to having his morning coffee accompanied by something like that every day. The rest of his body eagerly agreed.
His cellphone buzzed on the counter, loudly. Trying to reach for it with one hand, the other planted firmly around Rianne and their mouths still attached it was kind of difficult to get to it in time. So when he could finally take a look at it he had missed a call from Hailey and a message already popped up that he should be at the district in 20, because they had caught a case and needed him back at the office to run technical support.
"D'you need to get in to work?" Rianne growled near his ear, softly kissing along his jawline.
"I guess so… no rest for the wicked…" he sighed.
Quickly he tried to focus on getting back into the real world with his thoughts. He had half a mind of getting completely naked with his girl again right now. The thought that she would already be here when he got back was comforting though. While Rianne fondled with his hair and drank some more of that coffee Jay typed a short reply to Hailey, asking if someone could pick him up. His arm was hurting a bit from his stunt at the wheel yesterday, so maybe it was better to be careful for once and rest up a little this morning.
"Decide what you wanna do today?" Jay was curious if she had given any more thought to going over to meet with Andrea's family or take her time with that until she was sure and ready.
He admired how she looked so much more relaxed and upbeat than yesterday. She sure knew how to bounce back.
"Maybe I'll meet up with Stella for some girl time and shopping if you're busy. I feel like I need to treat myself to something nice after yesterday…and I haven't seen her alone in forever I think…"
"More clothes?" Jay looked at her in semi-mock shock.
She just shrugged her shoulders and winked at him cheekily:
"Maybe… Mainly I should start to look for something to wear to your brother's wedding. You still haven't told me what color your suit is going to be…"
"Where are you going to do your shopping?"
He didn't really want to say it to not come across as overbearing again, but he still wasn't so sure how he felt about her being on her own anywhere right now. This Nate thing was far from over and Jay feared that this tenacious S.O.B. would be going nowhere for the time being.
"I was thinking I could take the chance to get to know my new neighborhood better, actually some of my favorites shops are in Wicker Park and Bucktown anyway, so… we might be staying local."
Really adaptable this woman, he liked the reference to this being 'her new neighborhood'.
"So, maybe we could meet up later, get some dinner? Like in a restaurant for a change?" Jay had noticed that they hadn't really done that apart from visiting a few lunch- and coffee-places.
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
"I'll think of something…" He treated himself to another slow and tender coffee-flavored kiss before he knew he had to get ready to go.
"It's green by the way…" Jay said still close to her lips.
Rianne's conspiratorial smile showed him that she understood what he was referring to. With one arm he lifted her up from the counter to put her down on the floor, against her protests that he shouldn't be doing that yet.
"I told you I was going to use you to get back into shape again! That's just the beginning…"
Rianne had just gotten showered and dressed herself.
Jay had only been gone like half an hour, when her phone chimed with a new message from him.
It made her smile that he was obviously thinking about her even if they had just parted ways. On the other hand it shouldn't come as a surprise because it was exactly the same for her. Whenever she wasn't with him he still was on her mind.
"Hey, I know I am probably being overprotective, but could Stella pick you up at my place and you keep me in the loop when you're done? I would feel better if you weren't out on your own today, sorry."
"Okay, that can be arranged. Just because you asked so nicely."
"Thank you xxx!"
Wow, just complying got her three kisses.
Although she didn't share his concerns to that extent, Rianne cleared things with Stella and set up for a time to meet, already feeling so much better at the prospect of spending the day with her and doing normal stuff. Besides probably talking and talking and talking things over some more…
Rianne knew that she always felt more sorted and lighter after their girl-time. Stella had suggested getting little beauty-treats in too as she hadn't really had time to pamper herself lately and because she thought a new haircut or some new color would be a good way to deal with the newest development in her friend's life:
"Let's handle this like a break-up. Reframe it and make the best of it. And the best way to make the most out of a break-up is the reinvention of oneself!" Those had been her exact words.
Rianne was basically game, but just to be safe she decided to check with Jay. Not that she would listen to him at all costs if he was against it, but she wanted at least try and be more considerate. Also she was curious what he was like concerning some classic relationship sandtraps:
"You one of the guys who throws a tantrum when his girlfriend gets a new haircut? Just want to be prepared…"
He didn't answer by text, he called her two minutes later:
"Me throwing a tantrum because you're getting your hair done? You really think I am three sometimes, do you?" He was laughing in that deep chuckle that warmed her from the inside.
"How would I know? The exciting thing about this new thing between us is that we haven't done some things for the first time, so I don't know how you will react if I get my hair cut or my nipples pierced or a nose job…"
"As long as it's nothing too extreme like shaving your head: Do your thing babe! After all I guess you would make even that look good. I'll seriously wanna talk to you about the nose job though…"
"Jay, we're rolling out…" Someone called out to him in the background.
"Is Kim going on a manhunt?" Rianne couldn't help herself and voice her concerns out loud.
If she was pregnant on her job she'd be confined in her office and not make any external visits and appointments.
"Not a manhunt, but they're on their way to do some surveillance! She and Upton can handle themselves. Why?"
Too late she remembered that the unit didn't know about Kim's pregnancy yet and so Jay was still in the dark about it. Shit! She hoped that he wouldn't get suspicious now.
"No reason…"
"Right… Something you wanna tell me?"
That man's instincts and sensitivity were a pain in her ass sometimes. Quickly she changed her tone to an easy-going sing-song:
"What? No, I was just curious what you guys are up to today. So, call me later with the details of our date?"
Sylvie Brett also tagged along when Stella called up to Jay's apartment and the girls made their way on foot to the shops on Milwaukee and W North Ave. It was nicely cold but dry out and the fresh air in their lungs was heaven.
Rianne didn't mind the company of the third woman as she generally liked the lively and kindhearted paramedic of Ambulance 81. She was sort of rooting for her and Matt to get their act together. Some deep friendship roots had been growing for a while now between those two and Stella and Rianne had detected something like sparks flying on occasion and deep looks whenever the other one wasn't watching.
As they were all invited to Will's and Natalie's wedding the question on what to wear needed to be answered so they found themselves browsing through each and every possible store, having a ball to dress into things they would never get, but were fun to look at and try out.
After their shopping spree and blowouts and hairstyle-changes that pretty much took all day, the three girls settled down at a booth at the busy coffee house "The Wormhole" Sylvie had been raving about. It had a nice nostalgic vibe to it with sort of a Sci Fi, 80's movies theme, and offered some pretty wild latte flavors that they indulged in. Of course it also wasn't an option to bail on some pastry on the side. Rianne thought that she hadn't had a day like this in a lifetime and kept running her fingers through her somewhat shorter, silky-soft hair, now colored in a balayage rose gold chocolate mauve way. All of their hair looked film diva gorgeous, at least it would for the lasting hours of the day.
When her phone beeped in her pocket she quickly pulled it out, thinking it might be Jay telling her how long he'd be, but to her dismay it was Nate texting her.
Stella and Sylvie had been filled in on everything in between rows of dresses and putting on new shoes. So when they saw Rianne's face fall at reading the messages on her phone they made the connection that it could only be him:
"What's he saying?" Stella demanded to know, already in a 'if he's going to do one more stupid thing I am going to come after him' mode.
"That he's sorry what happened yesterday. 'Please can we talk and make things right?'…"
"Yeah, right…." Sylvie scoffed.
"'I really need to talk to you, please can we go back. I need you in my life'..." Her heart sank at just reading this. It brought those insecurities on how to deal with this back up.
"Yada, yada, yada! Hun, I'm telling you: Be careful, don't go and talk to him. What else would he have to say? What could he possibly say to make you forgive him for what he put you through yesterday? To me it sounds just like a ruse to get you on your own again. I am sorry, but it reminds me pretty much of my Grant-Drama all over. Jay should be careful. You know how much Kelly was in danger at that time."
If Rianne remembered correctly it had ended with her ex-husband in the psych-ward. Surely this wasn't like this?
"I don't know. Nate's a little off the wagon right now, but he's not stupid. Jay's a cop, if he hurt or threatened him in any way, he'd get arrested. Nate would lose his job and he could never work as a social worker again. This really matters to him."
"Just saying… I'd keep my distance for now. I fear Jay's gut feeling to not let you out of his sight is right. I wonder what causes people to come unhinged all of a sudden."
For a moment the sullen feeling was back and Rianne stirred in her honey bear latte for a while, trying to push it away. She wished someone would tell her it was all a joke or that she would wake up from this bad dream. If only there wasn't the part of the dream that she didn't want to wake up from…
When Sylvie left to prepare for a night out with Emily Foster a while later, Stella stayed and kept Rianne company until Jay showed.
"So, where's he taking you tonight?"
"I don't know, he wouldn't say." Rianne was chewing her bottom lip in thought, which didn't go unnoticed by Stella.
"Alright, if you somehow got stuck on our earlier conversation and you're thinking that Nate could be right about anything he said about you and Jay: Stop it! He is not, he just doesn't want to see what everybody else in their sane mind is seeing! I meant what I said last week at Molly's: You and Jay are disgustingly, envy-arousingly good together. When I look at you I see the full program: Marriage, kids, house in the woods, weekend barbecues. I know you said you never want to get married again and the kids thing could be a problem too, but I'm just saying: There's something about you two… I might add I knew it from the start. You just feel and counterbalance each other, it's rare and it's special. I won't even start with the sex vibes you're oozing out…" Stella sassily winked at Rianne, making her crack a smile and groan in frustration that she was even having the smallest doubts like Stella had suspected.
Those mind-games really were a bitch. Grabbing her friend's hands she leaned closer over the table and looked at her pleadingly:
"I have one urgent request: Please tell me if I ever loose myself with him? Because right now that's my only fear. I hear what you're saying and I can't deny that it's exactly what it feels like to me and then some. It's an all-consuming, hot burning rush when we're together and at the same time it's just so natural and at ease, as if we know each other without knowing everything. I can't really describe it because I don't have the words for it and you know me - I'm normally good with words! I don't have too much experience to go on but I would say that I have never fallen in love so deep, so quickly…it fucking scares the..."
"Ladies…" They were interrupted by a shadow falling on their table suddenly, followed by a familiar wave of male cologne.
"Jay…looking sharp…" Stella quickly recovered from their private conversation being cut short and nodded at their visitor smilingly, noticing his unusual attire.
Unusual because it was a little different from his day-to-day work and 'out-at-Molly's' clothes.
Obviously Jay had gone home first before coming here. Rianne wondered if she should have gotten dressed into something other than her short grey t-shirt dress over checkered tights and that long woolen cardigan. She gave him a once-over and found her face getting a little hotter when she caught his warm stare on her too. She wondered how much of their talk he had witnessed.
He looked absurdly handsome in a sand colored biker-jeans and a dark-blue tight-fit jeans-shirt with red buttons and a leather bordered breast pocket. Her highlight was the dark blue Carhartt beanie he was wearing against the evening cold. In that outfit he didn't really stand out in this hipster joint. Jay fit right in, especially since he was sporting brown suede, slightly open, leather boots instead of his usual black ones. To Rianne it meant the world that he had chosen to wear something different, something she hadn't seen on him, for their evening out.
"You've been shopping too?" she teased him and scooted over to make room for him.
"No, just found some things I didn't know I even had when I made space for your stuff in my closet last night." He slid into the booth next to her, pulling her into his side and kissing her cheek.
"What else did you get? New tattoo too maybe?" Jay grinned at her in that sexy goofy way, eying and playing with her new haircut as well as taking in the bags from "Fluevog", "Lost Girls Vintage, "Seek" and "Una Mae's" at their feet.
"No, but I was actually thinking about it in the near future…"
Jay had an espresso with them, catching up on PD and Firehouse news with Stella. Rianne liked that her and Jay got along fine and relaxed at his side. While she was running her hand over his knee she stopped suddenly and couldn't believe what her fingertips found. Jay must have noticed her grabbing on to the fabric abruptly, turning around to her, his eyes alert, thinking there must be something seriously wrong:
"What? What's happening?"
"Your jeans are torn at the knee…" she whispered incredulously.
"Yeah, the other knee's got a whole too. I have the suspicion it was done with intent. What's your take on it?" he whispered conspiratorially followed by a Jay eyebrow-raise and side-smirk, her heart pumped a little more blood through her body.
"It's hot!" She kissed him on his half-open mouth on impulse, before going back to just watching his smiling face.
Rianne couldn't really explain why she was so turned on by this, it was a simple torn jeans.
"Okay, that's my clue… Guys, it was a pleasure." Stella got up from her seat with a laugh and snapped them out of their loaded staring.
Jay and her got up too, Rianne hugging Stella tightly to her chest:
"Thanks for everything baby!"
"Don't mention it, you have a nice evening love-birds!" It almost sounded like an order.
"So… I made reservations at 'The Delta'. I think it might just be your style and that you'll like it," Jay announced to her once they went outside too after Stella had left.
"Oh wow, I feel special now…"
"It's because you are!" He pressed a quick kiss to her temple and tucked her under his arm.
"Also I liked what you said before: that maybe it's time to treat ourselves to something nice after everything that's happened…"
'The Delta' was a restaurant and bar, only a ten minute walk from where he had picked Rianne up from her now declared "new favorite coffee place".
Jay had been there once or twice with his brother, but never on a date. It was not like the fancy restaurants one would find elsewhere in this city, but had a special vintage interior design, a laid-back environment and a delicious menu. It was an ode to the food and culture of the Mississippi Delta region.
Jay's mouth had been watering at the thought of their specialties, hot tamales and varieties of fried food, all day since he'd thought of taking Rianne there tonight and being so lucky as to get a last minute reservation. The place was regularly overbooked, especially on the weekends.
Having put all her shopping in his truck that he'd parked down the street, they sauntered to the joint holding hands, enjoying this newness of going out to dinner on a Saturday night.
Inside the place was already packed with a lot of people out dining. Jay was happy they got an end table at the window front looking out to the outside patio, which was nice in the summers.
He took great pleasure in seeing Rianne's eyes light up at the special decor, brick walls and picture frames and her cozying up in the corner spot on the bench seat upholstered with vintage patterned brocade. Jay was glad he'd been right about her liking it because it was sophisticated understatement and designed comfort. Just like the food, which they ordered plenty of in every possible variation, accompanied by two fancy cocktails they toasted their first official date with.
It was strange to take a woman out only now, after already having gone through several tough emotional predicaments together. To him it made it even more exceptional.
As usual she made him forget about everything else just by having that special sparkle in her eyes and being able to get him to engage in those silly "what would you do if you had to choose: be a cowboy or an astronaut for all your life?" conversations.
Tonight they found that there were also some things, maybe even worthy first date topics, they hadn't covered yet:
"I'm sure you have like four middle names…" Jay said between munching on his hush puppies with relish.
Rianne just sipped her drink and smiled secretively, reaching over with her fork to steal some of his food. He didn't mind as he had done the same several times throughout the evening.
"Am I right?" he insisted.
"Not quite… I got two middle names…from my two grandmothers. Kind of a stupid tradition."
"So come on: what's your full name? Is it embarrassing?"
She took a deep breath: "Rianne Ellen Maria Torres Delgado!"
Jay froze for a second, just looked at her and let his cutlery sink down on his plate for a moment:
"Did you say your second name's Ellen?" There was an aching in his heart, but also a tingling warmth spreading through him.
"Yeah… my Dutch grandmother's name…Why?" she stopped eating too and reached for his hand, already having noticed the moisture that was evident in his eyes when he caught her gaze again:
"It was actually my mother's middle name too." Jay entwined their fingers and Rianne squeezed his hand tight, running her thumb over his wrist.
"You never talk much about her…" She stated, it was an observation she wasn't wrong about.
But Jay couldn't help but feel that to her he might talk more about his mum one day. In this moment he didn't know if he should think of this as coincidence or fate. Somehow he had the feeling that Margaret Ellen Halstead was giving him a gentle nudge from up above.
"Someday I might…" he found himself muttering and it felt hopeful.
"So tell me about your middle-names then…" Rianne let go of his hand and continued finishing off her meal, sensing he wasn't ready to offer up anything more.
"I don't have any!" Jay grinned, knowing she wouldn't buy this for one second and glad that they'd changed the topic.
"Liar! You're from Irish descent, therefore you have to have had a catholic upbringing, so: middle-names…"
"I find some faults with that argumentation but…yeah, I was lying…It's 'Thomas' actually."
"That's not so bad… Jay Thomas Halstead… solid, JT! What's Will's then?" She must have known that he would gladly offer up something embarrassing on his brother:
"Yeah, right in comparison to him I got off lightly. His full name is William Raymond Halstead." They both chuckled at that.
"So your parents got all traditional on the first born and then went off the book, interesting. Are you familiar with the meaning behind your name?"
"I never looked it up, so I guess not…"
"Well I believe there is always something fascinating about this. So I've done my research…"
"And?" Jay had to stop his smile from getting wider and wider, almost making his face hurt.
He couldn't help but find her excitement for something so simple as a conversation about names adorable. And she had googled his name...
"Well, if it is short for James or Jason it would either mean 'healer' or 'may God protect' - something I'd find extremely fitting for you..."
"No, it's just simply Jay…"
"So, then simply Jay is even better because originally it is an Indian name. In Sanskrit Jay means 'victory'…or in Latin "joyful". Of course there is also door number three which would be: you're named after the Jaybird…my little birdie." She really dared to pinch his cheek in that moment.
A waiter cleared off their plates, so they had more space on the table. Jay took the chance to catch both her hands in his.
"So you must know the meaning behind your own name too and can't wait to tell me that as well…" It didn't really matter what she told him, he wanted to listen to her chattering away all night, shutting out all the background noises.
"Funny you would ask… of course: So, Rianne is a version of Rhiannon, which is of Welsh origin, or Riane or Ryan as the Irish and Gaelic folks would say. I thought it was always some sort of unconventional name for my parents to choose. My guess is my mother was a secret Fleetwood Mac fan with a wilder past than she leads on."
"Why Fleetwood Mac?"
"Oh Jay, you poor thing!" Her eyes bugged out of their sockets because she obviously couldn't believe he didn't know why.
Jay thought there was no need to pretend otherwise. He liked music, but he had never been good at keeping special songs and singers in mind. Never been a wild fan of anyone in particular. Will had always been the artistic one in the family, he had been more interested in sports and building things with his hands.
"We really have to work on your musical education. There's a pretty good song called "Rhiannon" the band wrote in '74. It's about a woman who is involved with a lot of birds and magic."
"So, what does it mean, your name?" Jay's eyes were glued to her lips.
"Great queen, goddess…" she giggled, maybe a bit embarrassed to say it out loud, but also eager to give him the full story:
"I can prove it, I didn't make this up! In Welsh mythology Rhiannon was the goddess of horses and maker of birds. She had three of them and when something was happening in war you would see Rhiannon come riding in on a horse. People would black out on her arrival and when they woke up the danger would be gone, you'd see the three birds flying off and hear this little song, the song of Rhiannon..."
Jay found himself nodding, assessing her face, a little blush had crept up her cheeks. Never had he found a name so fitting for a person, his chest felt suddenly very tight.
"I would have expected nothing less…" he mouthed, placing a kiss over the knuckles of her left hand. She sure was his queen of hearts.
"Is it inappropriate to ask you to come over here?"
Jay was too far away for her taste. Thankfully he didn't think it was inappropriate to cuddle up in the small space on the bench together after desert. She was super sated, maybe even on the verge of too full, but this had been worth every sinful bite. Watching Jay enjoy his food and being laid-back was a thing to behold and love anyway.
"Thank you for a delicious dinner... I really enjoyed it." She hugged him to her once he had settled in to her left.
"I'm glad and you're welcome... you still got some leftovers on your face…"
He wiped at the corner of her mouth with his thumb, then licked it clean. His hand lingered then on her neck, eyes boring deep into hers before his lips softly touched hers in an intimate and yet chaste way. He breath hitched in her throat and she asked herself how in a crowd full of people he could always make her feel like there was no one else there but him. That feeling, his physical presence and warmth and all those butterflies in her stomach screamed at her: This was right. This was the right man to be with! He was really everything she wanted!
"Wanna go home?" he breathed, making the hairs on her neck stand up in anticipation of the promises in his voice.
He felt it too, the heat that was simmering between them, making their bodies hum in unison. Home sounded pretty good right now. She nodded and they turned around to wave over a waiter to get the cheque. When Rianne glanced to the entrance her heart stopped for a second in recognition of who had just walked into the restaurant.
"What is it?" Jay had caught on to her body stiffening in his arms immediately.
"It's Guilia… Andrea's sister…"
AN: I stole that line "Do your thing babe" from that unfortunately deleted Linstead scene, I know. I just couldn't resist, I thought it was so cute when Jay said that.
Somewhere along the way I will make some leaps in time, but for now I just had too much fun writing this little starting of something new for JR. You can see by how long it got that I got carried away with them - again.