Hi, friends!
Still not over the masterpiece that is 8x11. I've lost count how many time I've watched the episode at this point.
Hope you all enjoy this, picks up right after the screen cut to black.
xo, S.
Jay buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her smell, a little bit of vanilla and lavender, willing his own tears not to fall.
He could feel Hailey's sigh of relief and her fingers tighten around his forearm, keeping his body tightly against her own. Jay wrapped his arms around her waist, supporting her weight for her after the emotionally painful day they had just endured – both personally and professionally.
Hailey kept her head against Jay's shoulder, trying to calm herself down, as she felt his grip tighten around her. And that made her eyes well up again, not because she feared what might happen between her and Jay, but because he chose to stay and figure it out with her. No one had ever stayed for her before. She turned her face into his neck and let the tears fall, not caring so much anymore if he saw her like this; emotional, fragile, sensitive.
He heard her sniffle and felt her back sharply rise and fall. He tried to pull away from her to look at her, but Hailey wrapped her right arm around his shoulders to keep him where he was. Jay pressed his lips to her forehead, leaving a light kiss there, letting her have a moment to decompress, unsure as to what caused this new bought of tears.
He felt her shift a little and wipe her hands across her face,
"Are you okay?"
Hailey pulled back from him and gave him a smile, the biggest smile he's seen all day, since waking up together earlier that morning.
"Yes. And no."
Jay shrugged out of his coat and hung it in the closet, his collection of clothes and shoes growing there not lost on him as he closed the door. He turned back to look at Hailey, who moved to the couch and curled up into a ball waiting for him to join her. He sat next to her, pulling her upper body to lean against his own, wanting to hold her, take some of her pain away. Hailey settled against him, lacing their hands together.
"Jay, I asked you to come but really didn't know if you were going to stay. The few times before that I've disclosed the unpleasant details of my house, I've watched the other person walk out the door. I put you through the ringer today, with that little girl and crossing lines and running away. But you're here, you stayed."
Hailey ran a hand through her hair and leaned her head against his chest, his thumb stroking over her knuckles in a soothing motion.
Jay shifted on the couch, so Hailey was laying between his legs, his arms wrapped around her chest, her hands wrapped in his. He leaned his cheek against the side of her head,
"Hailey, you're my whole world. I'm not leaving, there's nothing that would make me ever walk away from you."
She twisted in his grip so she could face him, her knees on either side of his hips, one hand on his shoulder and the other cupped his cheek, her thumb running over the stubble that coated his jaw,
"Can you...uhm, can you say it again?"
Jay sat up, so his chest was pressed to hers, their faces inches from each other. He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling in the dim light the lamp across the room was providing. Hailey tilted her head and scrunched up her nose, her eyes locked on his.
Jay leaned forward to close the distance between them.
He pressed a kiss to her right cheek,
"I,"
He pressed another to her left cheek,
"love,"
And he pressed another to the tip of her nose,
"you."
Instead of feeling her stomach sink like she did this morning, she felt butterflies. Hailey leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and shifted on his lap, their hips flush together.
Jay rested his hands on the curve of her waist, under her shirt, his warm hands on her skin. Hailey kissed his neck, at the spot that made him let out a husky, sexy sound, right below his ear,
"I love you."
She kept her lips there, baring her teeth lightly, her tongue soothing the bite. She could feel his body reacting under her own, his fingers digging into her waist.
She pulled away from him slightly, seeing his eyes still sparkling at her,
"Remember my list from this morning?"
Jay nodded at her and his lips ticked up in a smile,
"I recall something about waffles, and coffee, and the new .44 mags."
He leaned in and caught her lips with his, unable to resist his need to kiss her. She smiled against his mouth,
"You forgot one thing."
He shook his head against her, kissing her again, mumbling into her lips,
"You don't need to want me, you always have me."
Hailey kissed him, sliding her tongue across his lips,
"I always want you. But Jay, I need you. Please."
Jay could never resist her, but in this moment, the air around them felt charged, and he wanted nothing more than to oblige her. He slipped his hands out from under her shirt, Hailey sighing at the loss of contact.
His fingers ghosted over the buttons on her flannel, sliding it down her shoulders and tossing it behind him. She gripped the edge of his shirt, the heel of her palm sliding over his abs, her fingertips grazing his shoulders, pulling the material over his head.
"Hold onto me, baby."
Hailey wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs locked around his waist, peppering kisses up and down his neck. He stood, one hand under her butt and the other across her back, keeping her in place against him in the air.
Jay walked them through the kitchen and into the bathroom. He sat her down on the countertop, Hailey's legs still wrapped around him. She opened her eyes at the feel of the cool surface and pulled away from his neck and gave him a questioning look.
Jay pushed her hair behind her ears,
"You don't like getting in bed feeling dirty after a case. And you climbed down that storage chute to get Becca. Plus, a hot shower always makes you feel better."
She shook her head and smiled.
He loved her.
All of the little things about her that Jay has taken the time to learn over the years has been love all along. In that moment, it hit her like a freight train and brought a new round of tears to her eyes. She tried to wipe them away but Jay noticed before she could even bring a hand to her face.
Jay turned on the shower head and slid the glass door closed, stepping to where she was still perched on the counter, closing the space between them,
"Hailey?"
He brought his hand up to swipe the tears away, silently asking her if she was okay. Hailey shook her head and let out a chuckle,
"I guess I just realized something, sitting here. You've always loved me, even if today was the first time you actually said it. You know all these little things about me that no one else has ever taken the time to care about."
Jay pressed his lips to her forehead,
"You're my best friend, my partner, the girl I love. Of course, I took the time to learn the little things. And I never want to stop learning about you."
She looked at him and smiled, nodding her head, leaning forward to press a light kiss to his lips,
"I love you."
The phrase tumbled so easily from her lips, she shocked herself. As she pulled away, she saw Jay's eyes light up as he smiled at her.
He reached behind her and popped the clasp of her bra, letting it fall to the floor. He trailed his lips along her shoulder, until he reached her ear, placing a kiss there, his left hand running through her hair,
"I love you, Hailey."
Pulling her off the counter, he crouched down, trailing his lips down her clavicle, over her abdomen, stopping at the waist of her jeans. She watched as he descended her body. He undid the button and slid them down her legs, helping her to step out of them.
Jay placed his palms on either side of her hips, and trailed his lips across the blue lace. He slipped his fingers under the scrap of material and pulled it down her thighs, her stance opening for him on instinct. He pressed his lips to her and Hailey couldn't help the sigh that slipped out, her hands falling to his shoulders, holding herself up.
Jay stood, shedding his own jeans and pulled her into the shower, letting the hot water and steam envelope them. Hailey stepped under the stream of water, letting the day roll off her body. Her eyes closed and her head titled up, she blindly reached for Jay, wanting him close to her.
He stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her, and her neck, arched up in the way she was leaning back was too tempting for him. He moved one of his hands to palm the back of her head, and he quickly attached his lips to her, sucking and soothing the spot that made her weak in the knees.
Hailey gripped Jay's shoulders, getting lost in the feeling of his lips on her. They've done this dance countless times before, but this time, feels different. She feels light and bare and wanted and loved.
She turned her head into his, causing him to pull away from her. Keeping his hand behind her head, he walked her back until she was flush to the tiled wall. Hailey wrapped a leg around his waist and wrapped her hand around him, stroking him.
Their eyes locked, saying everything neither could find the strength to say right now. She guided him to her and he pressed his hips up, sliding inside her body. Jay watched as she bit her lip, not wanting to let out too loud of a sound, saw her chest heave as she sighed at the feel of him.
Jay wrapped his free arm around her waist, holding her to him, his other hand still protecting the back of her head from the wall. He thrusted into her,
"When I say I love you, this is what I want you to think about Hailey. Only about how good it feels, how perfectly you and I fit together."
Jay snapped his hips into her again and again, Hailey whimpering against him each time. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he continued, her whole body lit on fire with every thrust he gave her, absorbing all the love he was showing her. She nodded against his neck, getting lost in the feel of his body in and all around her, whispering those three words into his skin over and over, hoping he felt them as strongly as she did in that moment.
Hailey kissed any bit of skin she could reach, the pads of her fingers digging into his shoulders as their bodies moved together, both of them finishing together in a mix of heavy breaths and light kisses.
Hailey opened her eyes the next morning to the sound of the rain pelting against her windows. Running a hand over her face, she tried to wiggle out of Jay's grip to check her phone.
He tightened his hold on her as he felt her moving, mumbling into her hair,
"D.O."
Hailey stopped moving, her hand resting on Jay's forearm,
"Are you serious?"
Jay nodded against her,
"Shhh. C'mere, lay back down."
Hailey happily obliged, turning in his arms, seeing his eyes closed but a smile on his face. She pressed herself closer to him, her legs intertwining with his,
"I will happily stay in this bed with you all day."
Jay chuckled, wrapping an arm around her back and pulling the blanket up and over their bodies,
"Good. Because the only thing we're leaving this bed for today is waffles."
Hailey laughed, pressing a kiss to his chest,
"Best day off I can imagine."
She laid in his arms, rubbing her thumb across his collarbone, silently basking in the peacefulness of the morning, listening to the rain pouring down outside, taking in his sleepy appearance; his ruffled hair from her hands in the shower last night, the steady rise and fall of his chest, the mark on his neck from her lips taking on a purpleish tint.
She giggled softly at the sight of the mark she left behind, not having given anyone a hickey for as long as she could recall. Jay popped one eye open at the sound,
"I love your laugh."
Hailey smirked at him,
"Not so sure you're gunna love it when you find out why I'm laughing."
Jay raised his eyebrows at her and leaned in to peck her lips,
"Tell me."
Hailey felt a blush rise to her cheeks, her fingers tapping on his bicep,
"I may, or may not have, left a little mark on your neck."
She swirled her fingers up to the spot below his ear that was quickly turning a darker shade of purple, running them along the slightly raised and haphazard looking shape that formed on his pale skin. Jay let out a loud laugh,
"You gave me a hickey!"
Hailey buried her head in his chest and started laughing with him,
"I'm sorry. Guess I got a little carried away."
Jay rolled them over, so he was laying on top of her, his forearms supporting his weight from crushing her. Hailey laid under him, her arms snaking up to his shoulders, her legs parting so he could rest his hips against her,
"Baby, I will never not welcome you all over me."
He bent his head down and caught her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking lightly, causing Hailey to let out the little breathy sound he's become completely enamored with,
"Just go lower next time."
Hailey giggled again, the heel of her right foot running up and down the back of Jay's leg under her blankets,
"Mm, how low?"
Jay chuckled, shifting his body lower,
"Here,"
He kissed the swell of her breast,
"Or here,"
He took her nipple between his lips, pulling lightly with his teeth, Hailey arching her back up off her bed,
"Here works, too"
Jay placed his lips on her ribs, baring his teeth to her skin, leaving a mark of his own. He stayed there for a few minutes. She rested her hands in his hair, her fingers running through his curls,
"Copy you."
When he was done, he lifted his head from her body and scooted up so they were face to face again,
"Waffles?"
Hailey beamed at him, her stomach lightly rumbling at the mention of her favorite breakfast,
"Yes please."
Jay went to move off her, but Hailey grabbed his arm, holding him above her for an extra second. He tilted his head at her, giving her a smile, as she just looked at him. But then she smiled,
"I love you, Jay."
He smiled back, bending down to peck her lips, as if they had been saying those three words to each other their whole lives,
"I love you too, Hailey."
He lifted himself off of her and padded out to her kitchen, starting the Keurig and gathering bowls to make the waffle batter, much as he had the morning prior. Except today, Hailey came out of her room, wearing his button up, her wavy hair a little messy, and perched herself on the edge of her counter, watching the man she loved cook them breakfast.