"One day you'll wake up at 11:30am on a Sunday with the love of your life and you'll make some coffee and pancakes and it'll all be alright."

Jay slowly opened his eyes at the glare of the sunlight streaming in through the closed blinds. He ran a hand over his face and through his mussed up hair, looking down at the woman curled into his side, her hand on his chest and her head resting in the space between his neck and shoulder blade. Jay gently pulled Hailey off him, and rested her head on his pillow, covering her body with the comforter, but not before taking her in. She could sleep like she was dead, so when she didn't stir as he moved her, he wasn't surprised. Her (his) t-shirt covered her back, but was bunched up at the waist, revealing the curve of her spine and her plump backside, covered by his favorite grey Calvin Klein boy shorts. He bent down and kissed her forehead, tucking a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and walked out of their bedroom.

Glancing at the clock on the stove, Jay was shocked when he saw that it was nearing 11am. He physically couldn't recall the last time he slept in this long. He looked around the open space and smiled, taking in what has turned into their home. Jay moved in with Hailey a little over a year ago now, with what started as them quarantining together, had turned into a permanent situation. Hailey had the bigger, nicer space with a large kitchen, open floor plan and enough space for them to each have their corners should they need their alone time. Jay chuckled at her calming blue décor theme through her living room, mixed with his prized painting of his dream bike, which much to his surprise, Hailey had no problem letting him pick a wall space to hang it. A few photos sprinkled the end tables and her corner of built in shelves; of him and Will, of Jay and his mom, of Jay and Mouse, and of Jay, Hailey and the rest of Intelligence. Taking a seat at the island, waiting for the coffee to brew, Jay smiled, never imagining this is where life would take him.

If you asked the old Jay, a 27-year-old Army Ranger veteran, who was just honorably discharged, that in 8 years, he'd be sitting in a kitchen in a home he shared with his partner turned best friend and confidant turned love of his life, he'd have probably told you to stop taking whatever drugs you were on and then continue to drown his sorrows in whatever bottle of hard liquor he could get his hands on next.

Now, as the pot started beeping telling him the coffee was done, he couldn't imagine a different life. He was a senior detective in CPD's most elite unit. He worked with the most incredible group of people, who as different as they all were, became his family. Most importantly, he worked with the best partner during the day and went home every night with the most incredible girlfriend, the blonde who was still upstairs sound asleep in their bed. Their bed, Jay smiled at the thought.

Not usually having time for more than avocado toast or a granola bar for breakfast during the week, Jay and Hailey started a weekend tradition; so long as they weren't called out for a case, they would make breakfast on Sundays. Breakfast that was not good for them in any way, but they didn't worry about that, because they usually wound up working it off in the most enjoyable of ways. Jay reached up into the cabinet and pulled down the pancake mix and got to work.

Hailey rolled over, with eyes still closed reaching for Jay, but was met with an empty space. Feeling her arm flop on the bed, she slowly opened her eyes, blinking as the sunlight poured in through the blinds. She glanced over at her phone, tapping it to reveal the time, 11:15am. Wow, she thought. Hailey loved sleeping in at least one day over the weekend, loving that as she laid down next to Jay, they needed no alarm and could simply sleep. Or not sleep, Hailey smirked at the thought of how much fun not sleeping was.

Hailey stood, stretching her arms over her head and smoothed down her hair. She took in her sleepy appearance in the bathroom mirror, catching the dark mark on her shoulder from not sleeping with Jay the night before. Splashing water on her face and going through her skin care routine quickly, she opened the bedroom door and was assaulted with the smell of coffee and pancakes. She took a deep breath in, and smiled, walking down the first set of stairs before pausing on the landing, taking in the sight before her. Jay had the Highway playing softly in the background and was humming along to whatever song was playing, with an apron on to protect his bare chest from any splatter. Hailey had never been much of a country music kind of girl, but on her days spent with Jay, when they were just Jay and Hailey, and not Detectives Halstead and Upton, she discovered his love for the genre as they drove around aimlessly with the windows down, his hand on her knee, always humming along to the song playing through the speakers.

Hailey sat down on the bottom step and brought her knees to her chest, and just sat for a second. Her mind flashed back to her younger self, sitting on the stairs next to her brothers, squished between them, forming a human barricade around her in case their dad tried to reach for her. Hailey could so clearly remember the shouting and the crying, the inevitable sound of a dish breaking as it hit the hardwood floor and the clinging of the pan as it was tossed into the sink, the idea of Sunday morning breakfast being tossed into oblivion as well. She could still hear the sound of heavy footsteps coming toward the staircase, and the scramble of motion around her as her brothers would scoop her up and run back up the stairs and into one of their bedrooms, where Hailey would throw herself onto one of their beds and put a pillow over her head, just waiting for it all to stop.

Hailey, now a grown woman, sharing a home and a life with the best man she's ever known, pulls herself up off the stairs and continues down into the kitchen, taking a seat at one of the stools, waiting for Jay to turn around and see her. Jay placed the last pancake on the serving plate and looked up, noticing her sitting there quietly. "Well look who's finally risen." Hailey laughed, "Yeah, yeah. Good morning to you too." Jay poured her a cup of coffee and placed it in front of her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she leaned back into his strong chest. He pulled her hair to one side and placed a kiss on her neck, "Sleep okay?" Hailey leaned her head into his cheek and kissed the side of his lips, "Slept great, all thanks to you." Jay smirked, placing a hand under her chin and turned her head so he could properly kiss her, "I aim to please." She fluttered her eyes closed as the thoughts from last night came back to her briefly; his lips trailing the length of her body, his fingers flexing to reach the spots only he has found, her mouth wrapping around him, their bodies joining, the sound of the headboard hitting the wall with every thrust he gave her, his grunts of pleasure muffled into her neck, her nails pressing into his skin.

Hailey pulled away from the kiss, and stood up, ready to fill her plate with the spread in front of her. Jay had pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit, and syrup and jams lined up on the island, their own little breakfast buffet. Hailey made her plate and was about to make Jay's, when he came to stand next to her giving her a little hip bump, "Go, sit down. I got it." Hailey smiled and stood on her tiptoes, placing a quick kiss on his lips and went to sit down on the couch, setting up the tv to watch their new favorite show. Hailey waited for Jay to sit down before she started eating, and as they cleared their plates and leaned into each other – Jay rested his head and shoulders across her lap, Hailey laid a hand on his chest and intertwined their fingers, she couldn't focus on the show playing in front of her. All she could focus on was that she was here, spending a lazy Sunday morning with the love of her life, and everything was alright.

As Jay laid on Hailey's lap, her fingers rhythmically drawing circles on his chest combined with the post-carb fog, he felt himself start to nod off. Hailey looked down at him, noticing his eyes start to close and grabbed a pillow for him to lay on. She nudged him up and he saw that she had the pillow in her hand, shooting her a smile. She knows that if he lays too flat that the muscle in his neck will tighten up. He lays down, pausing to be level with her face, and kisses her, "Love you." Hailey smiled, patting the pillow on her lap, prompting him to lay down. She bent down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, whispering against his skin, "Love you more." Jay turned his head toward her, cuddling deeper into the pillow, his arm coming up to snake around Hailey's waist, "Love you the most." She ran her hands through his hair, and as Jay succumbed to his afternoon nap, cuddled up with his favorite person, he realized that everything had definitely turned out alright.

Hi friends! I saw this quote on Pinterest and it reminded me of our favorite duo, and got the creative flow started. I'm finishing up chapter three of I Knew I Loved You Then, but hope everyone enjoys this little one shot. Wanted to give a HUGE thank you for the reviews and saves, they mean the world! Stay safe and healthy! XO, S.