It's lunch break on this sunny Wednesday for a few of the cops at the 129th. Jared Vasquez and Michaela Stone were two of them. Well, Michaela Stone-Landon actually. Jared looks over across the street. He sees Michaela with her husband, Zeke Landon.

Zeke and Michaela have been through a lot together this past while. More than anything, Jared wanted Michaela to be with him. He fought hard for her, as he thought their love would always prevail. He sees them and remembers all of their good times. Jay had been with so many women since Michaela first left him, even if not by choice. None of them had ever compared to her.

Seeing Mick with her husband, happy, pained him. He was happy that she was happy, but he doesn't know if he can move on. Jared has just been spending his time looking for the next best person to spend his life with. He thought he found that person with Tamera, then again with Sarah, but both of them ended up being anti-828. Anyone who hates Michaela is a deal breaker to him.

Recently, Jared has had his eye on someone new. Michaela's work partner and friend, Detective Drea Mikami, has always been borderline flirty with him, and recently he's been wondering if there's any mutual attraction. Better now than never.

He sees Drea walking up to him. This is his time. "Hey", he says a bit reserved.

"What's up Vasquez?", she responds in her usual, slightly playful tone.

"What are you doing after work today? If you're not busy, do you want to get some drinks?"

"Oh I'm not doing anything much. Yeah I'd love to. Want me to invite Michaela?"

"Um, I meant just the two of us."

"…so like a date?"

"Yeah if you're alright with that."

Drea thought for a few seconds. She's had a bit of a thing for Jared for a while now, but he's not only been through 4 women in the past few years already, he also is definitely still in love with Michaela. As much as she wants to be with him, she knows he would never choose her over her friend.

"I don't know Jared. As much as I want to take you up on your offer, I want to spend my life with someone who truly wants me for me and would never pick me last."

"That's not me Drea. I may still love Michaela, but I really do want to be with you." Jared doesn't know why he's fighting so hard. He doesn't even know if he truly would want to be in a relationship with her for life, but he can't not try to persuade her to go on a date. "What do you need for me to prove myself to you? How can I convince you that I'm not just one big player?"

After thinking for a minute, Drea responds, "Meet me at my desk at the end of your shift."

Jared does just that. Once his shift ends, he walks over to Drea's desk, fully expecting her to accept his offer of that date. Instead, she hands him a slip of paper. She has this slight smirk on her face. No date for him just yet, but instead he gets a list of tasks to prove himself. Jared takes one look at the list and wonders what he's just gotten himself into.

"Oh my God", Jared mutters as he reads the first line of the paper out loud, "Rule 1: Jared, you are super nice and all, but it seems like you're always chasing at least one girl. You always seem to act like a proper gentleman only whenever you're interested in the woman that you're being kind to. Try stepping back from flirting with almost every somewhat attractive single girl in the world and pining after the woman who doesn't love you in the way you love her for a while."

Reading that just made Jared irritated. Yes, he knows that he is a bit flirtier and nicer to women that he's attracted to, but what single person wouldn't be? She's been flirty with him, so what's up with that double standard there? Also, he feels like she was a bit cruel in the way she called him out like that about his situation with Michaela. She knows that that's a sore spot for him and yet she went there. Of course Michaela still loves Jared, she even admitted it to him before she chose Zeke. They were soulmates, ready to face anything. Now she's off and supposably happy, while he's just trying to find peace with what his place in Michaela's life is. Well, maybe he could figure out how to handle his place in her life if there could be defined boundaries about what his place in her life actually is.

Jared spends the next day, his day off, looking back on his flirting habits. He doesn't get it. Why did Drea comment on that? Single people flirt. So, what's the issue? He doesn't exactly understand where she's coming from.

Two days after Jared asked Drea out on a date, they were working their shifts at the same time. He arrived at his desk to find her there waiting for him. He almost confronted her comments about his flirting behavior with her, other girls, and Michaela, when she piped up and asked him about if he's thought about it all.

"Hey Jared. I was thinking about the list I gave you. You probably have tons of questions that will be answered in time, but I felt that you needed to know that there truly is no pressure on the list. It probably seems like a lot, and it sort of goes against our nature as people."

Relieved at the thought that he won't feel obligated to do everything written on that piece of paper, he responds, "Thank you Dre. I was really thinking that it wasn't a joke for a minute." As he laughs, Drea seems a bit awkward. Jared pushes it aside and asks, "So, how about that date?"

Drea, correcting his misunderstanding, says, "Oh, I wasn't joking, Jared. I still think that, even if you don't realize it, you just move from woman to woman. Even if we go through all of this just to go on one date and it doesn't work, I want to know that you don't just think of me as some woman that's been a bit flirty with you a few times. I just think you needed to know that the pressure for us to follow the list and maybe go out someday shouldn't be much at all. Basically, it isn't a huge deal if you don't want us to do this."

Jared almost backs out but then realized that she mentioned the word "we", multiple times. He adds in, "Wait. Did you say 'we'?!"

"Yeah. You think that I asked you to do all of that while sitting back and watching me be closed off and flirty? Not gonna happen. I'm in it as long as you are. So, Jay, are you in?"

He has no idea why, but the idea of a challenge along with the possibility of getting laid to go with it made him respond with a casual, "I'm in."

Jared spent the next couple of weeks a bit detached from Drea, but he still found himself subconsciously flirting with Michaela. Since Mick and Drea are partners, they spend most of their time at work solving cases together. Practically every time he talked to Michaela, turns out he was being flirty and he didn't even realize it. Sometimes Drea gave that 'I'm watching you' gesture to him. He didn't have to, but when Drea corrected him like that, he actually stopped.

Eventually, Jared really started to become aware at just how much of his social life revolves around getting attention from women. He thought that when it comes down to it, he treated his friends that are attractive to him as just that: friends. Turns out, most of the time, he flirts and banters with them as he would to his hypothetical girlfriend. Looking back on it, as much as he wants to be back with Michaela, his banter definitely seemed to make her and (especially) Zeke uncomfortable. He became a bit more self-aware, and he ended up starting to go back and talk to Michaela and Drea without the banter and flirting. He talked to them as he would any other friend, and although he could tell that Drea wanted to start some flirty bantering with him, Michaela seemed to be more assured and confident while talking to him. It was also nice getting the chance to see these amazing women as friends, rather than women that he'd find himself being persistent to.

Now that he's improved on the first part of the list that Drea gave him, he decides that he's ready to check out the second part. He sits on his couch and reads, "Rule 2: I know what kind of person you think you are, but I have no idea what lies on the inside and what got you to where you are. It would be super cool if we could just talk a bit more about our lives and what made us who we are today."

That's an easy one for him. After that, he made sure to ask her a few random life questions every day. At first, it was just a part of this little challenge for them, but after a few minutes of just talking about life, he really started to enjoy getting to know her more than he ever thought he would. He even started to forget that this was a challenge at all. He started out wondering if he even liked her enough to do this, but now he can sense himself wanting to be near her all of the time. He wanted to ask her if she needed help with her cases, and he constantly found himself just looking at her. She was no longer this pretty face to him. She was more than those chocolate-colored eyes and her wavy brown hair. He felt that constant pull towards her and deep caring for her that he's only felt twice before.

Unbeknownst to Jared, Drea was feeling the same. She had always been a bit insecure, and yet she was also a big believer in soulmates. There was obviously a kind of a mutual attraction between them from early on, but the whole scenario with the list wasn't about her truly wanting to date him at first. She started out truly not caring if he wanted to do this 'challenge' with her, it was actually in part to help him realize that his infatuation with Michaela was getting to be a bit too much. It was breaking him down every time he saw the woman he had always said was his soulmate growing more and more in love with Zeke. Throughout this, she actually started feeling the light attraction turn to something much more. Now, she's just about ready to go on that date. Although, she had caught on that he still was a bit attached to Michaela and hadn't gotten fully in touch with his emotions. He was acting like a big strong tough man, just like always. She knew it was time for him to follow the next part of his list. It was a section that she had already completed.

"Rule 3: Jared, you act so invincible. You never seem to let people see your weak side, not even yourself. Try writing a letter of you just talking about your inner most thoughts. You never have to send it, although now that I know you're on this part of the list, you should keep an eye on your mailbox."

Reading that, Jared thought that Drea was a bit insane. First of all, it seemed so easy. Second of all, it's not anything that she can keep track of. He decided that he wasn't going to do that, as it wasn't worth his time. He then looks at the last section of his paper. There's only one part left on Drea's list! He reads the bottom rule, hoping it will be another easy one.

"Rule 4: This one probably isn't easy to read or think about, but it's something that needed to be said. You have been so attached to Michaela, that you've not made your partner your priority in every relationship afterwards. I hope that doing these other things have helped you find a new place for her in your life, whether we work out or not. She is happy, and I want you to be too. So, whenever you find yourself fully moving on and emotionally being ready for a new, serious relationship, you know where to come and find me."

Reading that made Jared's blood boil. How dare she. Who does Drea think she is, talking to him like that?! Michaela has always been the most important person to him, and Drea just expects him to just treat her as second to someone that he's dating?!

The next day at work, Jared goes up to Drea. She seems hopeful, and expecting that he's walking up to ask her on that date. She's actually become happy with the thought of being with Jared. Seeing some of his true personality has really made her drawn to him. She ends up being mentally knocked down when Jared angrily says, "Why in the hell did you say that?!"

She barely can get a word out when he decides to just keep getting madder at her.

"Dre, I thought that we were actually friends. Maybe even a bit more than friends. You don't get what it's like to love someone who is refusing to love you back. First, you want me to get to know you, and now you're asking me to move on from Michaela. I can't believe that you would expect me to do that!"

Now Drea is crying. Jared had never seen her like that before. She responds with tears in her eyes, "I just wanted to see what you were like. I was hoping that you would find that I was worth it. She's moved on Jared. You need to accept that. I thought you actually cared about me. I never asked you to stop caring about her. It was just so damn obvious that your obsession with her was getting unhealthy. I was just trying to help you, and get to know you along the way. I thought there was something there; I thought you would fight for me."

Jared, seething, rips apart the list that Drea made him and yells at her, "You aren't my girlfriend Drea. Isn't not chasing Michaela good enough for you?! Huh?! I can't have anyone else as my priority. Get over it or never talk to me again!"

She looks into Jared's eyes and quietly says, "I really thought you were different than the other guys who just use me temporarily. I don't just want to be another one of your failed rebounds. Good luck with your life Jared."

Drea runs away to the bathrooms, tears streaming down her face. In that moment, Jared feels a piece of his heart break and run off with her. He spends the rest of that day and the next trying to mentally avoid the memories of Drea's face as he yelled at her. The pure heartbreak on her face that left him feeling a bit numb. They didn't interact in that time, but he couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she is, how she told him that she loves spending her days off riding on her favorite horse, how her laugh always brightens up his day, and then how he just let her walk away.

Three weeks after he first asked Drea out, Jared decides that she deserves an apology for the way he reacted, although his pride refused to fight for her again no matter how much he wanted to. He gathers his courage and starts to walk to her desk. He can see her look up and notice that he's going over to her, when he gets a phone call from Michaela.

He picks up the phone and hears her voice, "Jay! I know that you're at work, and I hope that I'm not bothering you, but would you mind stopping over at some point today? We want to talk to you about something super cool."

Jared looks over at Drea again. She's waiting for him, he can tell. As much as he wants to go over to her, he's been less attentive to Michaela lately. He's scared to ignore her call.

"I'm not busy right now. I'll be right over, Mick!"

He feels wrong as he walks away from Drea's desk, and knows that he may lose her if he does, but he can't lose Michaela. He walks away to the feeling of disappointment from both him and Drea.

When he arrives at Michaela's house, he sees her sitting on the couch with Zeke. Nothing seems off about her other than happiness radiating from her. He sees that Zeke is hiding something behind his back. After they exchanged greetings, Michaela and Zeke revealed that they are having a baby. Jared was then swiftly asked to be the baby's godfather. If this was Jared a month ago, he would have been sad and angry and trying to win Mick back again, but he actually found himself being genuinely happy for Michaela Landon and her husband.

He spent the rest of the day processing his new reactions to her news. Once he got back to his house, he started getting so mad at himself for not being as jealous anymore. He didn't want to let Michaela go.

Going through his mail, he noticed a letter with the name "Drea Mikami" in the top left corner of the envelope. This is the letter she wrote to him, just expressing her feelings. As stupid as he found the whole idea, Jared opened the letter and read it.

"Hey Jared,

I can't believe I'm writing this. If I'm going to be honest, I thought we would never get this far in our little game. I originally made that list hoping to see you improve your life and learn to be happy without Michaela. You've grown so much as a person now, and so have I.

We used to just be flirty friends, but after all that's been happening between us, I think I may be falling for you. I'm a big believer in soulmates and destiny, and I think that my destiny was to love you. I know you may not feel the same and this is a huge risk, but the chemistry between us has grown so much over the past month. I hope you feel the same as me.

Maybe I can be the one to buy us coffees if we ever do end up going out. I hope you ask me again, as I sure do know what my answer will be.

Love,

Drea"

Reading that letter actually made Jared cry. He never truly thought about what his feelings for her had become. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. That numb feeling was heartbreak, and he was falling for her too. He just didn't really know how to love someone other than the woman who he used to call his soulmate. Mick moved on because she had realized that a life with Jared wasn't what she needed. She needed a person who understood her and would trust her no matter what, and she found Zeke. Jared needs a person who can help him heal from everything he's been through, and a person who isn't afraid to tell him off when need be. He had someone right there waiting for him who is everything he needed, and he let her go. Now, he knows that he needs to make things right and fight for Drea like he knew he always wanted to do all along, and the next day he did just that. He confidently walked to the now avoidant Drea's desk and knew exactly what he needed to do.

"Hi Drea. Listen, before you say anything, I needed to tell you how truly sorry I am for everything that I have done. You were right all along. I'm not good at letters, so I'll just say what's on my mind right now. I've spent the last ten years of my life loving Michaela. It's true that I got attached and a bit obsessive. It's not because I hated you. I just couldn't let go of her and the life I had always dreamed of. It was so hard to see love without her, so I started rebound relationships to try to move on like she did. Nothing worked. You want to know why? It's because I never wanted to move on. I didn't want to accept that we aren't right for each other anymore, and I just panicked when I felt myself letting her go. I'm so scared to see what my life is like without romantically loving her, and I always held on tight to the hope that she would come back to me. You've done it Drea Mikami, you've broken my shell. You are what I'm missing. I don't care if you're not ready yet after the shit I pulled. I'll wait as long as you need me to."

He slid her letter to her along with the list, which he taped back together saying, "I read your letter to me last night. I know I hurt you and myself in the process of my coming to terms with my emotions, and I'm so, so sorry. You wrote that you were falling for me, and I'm here to tell you that I'm falling for you too. Can you ever forgive me?"

Drea looked at Jared. It seemed that the whole world lit up as they gazed into each other's eyes. She gave Jared a slight smirk as she said, "It took you long enough."

They both laughed. Her laughter warmed his soul. She then took his hand and led him outside to the coffee stand where she got them both a coffee. Confused, Jared asks, "Why did you take me out here?"

"I made you pay for the last ones," she responds, "so I figured that I'd repay the favor."

Glad that they're back on good terms again, Jared chimes in, "Ok, Dre, what's the real reason why you took me out here. You could've brought the coffees inside, you know?"

Drea shyly answered his question, "Jared, what you did wasn't cool by any means. It left me feeling empty, but I think it needed to happen. You needed a big smack in the face and I'm glad I was able to give you one. Back in there, you said that you'll wait for me. Well, there's no need to. I've been hoping that you would come and apologize and do what got us into this mess, but since you aren't stepping up, I will. Vasquez, do you want to go out to dinner with me tonight?"

He accepted.

It was a cloudy Thursday morning outside of the 129th when Drea and Jared started their new beginning together. They knew it wouldn't be easy, but it had never felt more right as they kissed while holding their coffees and standing under the tree that stands on the outskirts of New York City hearing the birds sing their own little love call. Two newly-found soulmates finding true love.