Welcome back to another chapter! Jay's birthday chapter has to be my favorite so far, so I hope you all enjoy!

"Jay, wake up."

It is ironic that the one time that she actually wants to wake him he seems to sleep like the dead. Hailey shoves him again, a little harder than the first two times she unsuccessfully tried to wake him up and breathes out a little sigh of relief when she feels him start to stir next to her, the arm that he has draped across her body raising to his face to rub his eyes.

"What's wrong?" There's a grogginess in his voice and as he slowly starts to wake up, Hailey can see the worry on his face.

"Nothing's wrong," She whispers. "I promise."

He relaxes a little and she scoots closer to him in the bed. He is laying on his back, his left arm protectively wrapped around her again. She lays on her side, her hands resting on his bare chest, drumming in an excited pattern.

"Please don't tell me it's morning," He mutters, sleepily cocking his head to look at her.

"It's not morning," She hums softly.

He smiles a little at this news before asking, "Then why are we awake?"

She can't stop the small giggles that bubble in her chest or the way her excitement makes her smile in the quiet of her bedroom. "It's midnight."

"So?" He questions again.

"So," She says slowly, raising herself up to kiss his jaw. "It's officially your birthday."

He hums at her words, tightening his grip around her waist as she works her way up to kiss his cheek. "And you didn't want to wait until morning to wish me happy birthday?"

She pulls away, just an inch, eyeing him playfully. "Are you complaining?"

He tugs on her body, pulling her closer until she is practically laying on top of him. His right hand finds its way to her hair, getting lost in the blonde locks as he brings her lips to his for a proper kiss.

"Not in the slightest," He whispers between slow, lazy kisses.

It's the first time they are celebrating either of their birthdays like this. Sure, they have celebrated in the past, with a friendly "happy birthday" and a customary drink or a nice gift. And those birthdays have been well and good, but they were not this.

This, getting to kiss him softly in the quiet of her bedroom, savoring the way he tastes at 12:03 am, it's everything she has ever wanted on every previous birthday.

And now she's got it and she truly does not think they will be able to celebrate another birthday without this ever again.

"You know, I could get used to this?" He murmurs softly. "You waking me up in the middle of the night just to kiss me?"

She hums, threading her hands through his short hair, letting her fingers dance on the nape of his neck. "Sorry, this is a birthday-only thing. I know how cranky you get when you don't get a full night's sleep."

"I don't get cranky," He playfully teases, his fingers rubbing against her sides, every now and then finding their way under her t-shirt.

"You'll probably be worse now that you're older," She cheekily says. "Thirty-seven? That's like real old."

"Old, huh?"

He wastes no time in rolling them over, his body now hovering over hers, a devilish grin plastered on his face. Any lingering tiredness is gone as he kisses her again, harder this time, like it's not the middle of the night and like they don't have work in the morning.

"Super old," She whispers against his lips, humming as his hands play with the hem of her shirt.

"You just wake me up to call me old or-"

"Well, I woke you up to wish you a happy birthday." She says sweetly, her hand cupping his face, the pads of her fingers tracing his stubble.

"That all?"

She chuckles at the way he raises a knowing eyebrow and the way his eyes twinkle here in the dark of the room.

"Well, if you're not too tired, I was thinking we could start your birthday off right?"

His eyes roll and he tries to feign annoyance, but by the way his hands are balling at the hem of her shirt, slowly lifting the fabric up, she is not quite buying it.

"Another old joke, huh?"

She shrugs slightly. "Couldn't help myself."

His hands brush against her side and there is a cheeky smile on his face and she thinks that maybe he is going to say something, but she tilts her head up and kisses him before he has the chance. He chuckles against her lips, continuing his mission of working her shirt up and over her body, pulling away from her kiss just long enough to lift the shirt over her head.

Before he can go back in for another kiss, she lets her hand rest on his cheek again, holding him a few inches away from her as she whispers, "Happy birthday Jay."

He kisses her again, sweet and slow, and she thinks, no she knows, that she is very much a fan of this type of birthday celebration.

It's a little after 7 am when she rolls over, expecting to find the warm body of her boyfriend, rather being greeted by a cold empty bed. Hailey sits up slightly, checking her phone to see if they got a case and he is giving her a few extra minutes of sleep before waking her.

No notifications.

They don't need to be at work until 9 today, giving them a bit more time to sleep in. Given what day it is and how much he enjoyed their birthday celebrations just a few hours ago, she was hoping to wake him up in a much more special way, but alas, he is nowhere to be found.

She notices his keys and wallet are gone and thinks that maybe he has gone for a run and forgot to leave a note. Normally, on the days when he wakes before her and needs to do something with his energy and opts for a run in the crisp Chicago air, he will either send her a short text that he will be back later or he will find a post-it note and leave her a sweet message that is normally along the lines of "Be back soon beautiful (or "lazy bones" when he is feeling particularly cheeky.)

But today, there is no note. No text. No anything.

It's odd, she thinks, and she is about to get out of bed and investigate when she hears the front door of her apartment gently open, and then, there is soft rustling out in the living room. Soon after, the door of her bedroom gently opens, Jay quietly moving behind it, a mixture of surprise and happiness on his face when he sees that she is awake.

"Morning. I thought I'd be back before you woke up." He says softly, moving back towards the bed and sitting next to her, wrapping his hand around her back.

She hums. "I was pretty disappointed when I woke up and you weren't here."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." She gives him a shrug, the sleepy smile on her face growing. "It's an important day or whatever."

"Or whatever," He mocks her words, leaning down to kiss her gently. "Was I gonna get another birthday celebration?"

"Guess you'll never know," She whispers, moving over a little bit so he can lay down next to her.

He lays on his side and props himself up on his elbow, his head resting in his hand, letting his free hand play with her hair. "If I had known there was the potential for more celebrating, I would have stayed in bed."

"Bad move on your part," She teases, unable to suppress the laughter that is growing in her chest when he pouts.

"It's my birthday. You really gonna tease me?"

"Teasing you is my love language."

He scrunches his face at her as he tries to fake annoyance. "How did I ever get so lucky?"

"You know, maybe..." She turns to lay on her side, her fingers tapping on his chest. "Maybe, we could celebrate later."

There is a knowing expression on his face as he lets his hand snake around her waist to pull her flush against him on the bed. "Yeah?

"Yeah...but only if you tell me where you snuck off to so early this morning?"

He is not sweaty and he does not have that post-run glaze in his eyes that he always gets. He was somewhere, but he most certainly did not go for a run.

"It was nothing."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "You know I'm a detective, right? You're going to have to do better than that."

"You're a detective?" He teases. "Never would have known."

She shoves him softly and wiggles a little out of his grasp, laying on her back once again. He just chuckles, laying his head down on the pillow and staring at her. "I got you something. It's a surprise for tonight."

"Shouldn't I be the one getting you a gift today?" She questions.

"You already did." He lifts himself up to kiss her again. "I got you, didn't I?"

"That's cheesy and you know it."

"But you love me though, right?"

She just stares at him, his sleepy dopey smile and all, and knows that she loves him more than she has ever loved anything on this earth.

"Yeah, I do."

It's supposed to be a normal day at the district. They are in the middle of a drug case and plan on spending their day interviewing suspects and tracking down leads. The only difference is, when they walk into the bullpen that morning, Kim is excitedly waiting for them, exclaiming "Happy birthday!" the minute Jay rounds the stairs.

Kevin and Adam are not far behind in their wishing him a happy birthday.

"You're officially old now, bro," Adam says with a slap on Jay's back. "Like old old."

"Oh don't listen to him." Kevin interrupts. "You still look fine as hell, man."

"Okay, well, let's see if he can still drink like a young guy." Adam laughs. "I talked to Will and we're all going to Molly's tonight to celebrate." He points at Kim and Hailey to make sure they are in, both nodding and laughing "yes."

It seems strange that their friends still don't know that they are dating, but it's nice this way. It's like a sweet little secret between just the two of them that they get to cherish for the time being. They are excited to tell their friends and they know that it is going to happen soon, but this is the only time that they get to be just them, living in their own little world with no one else's opinions or thoughts, and for right now, both of them are more than happy to stay there.

By the time they get to Molly's that night, they are all a little tired from the day's work, but they can put it aside to throw back a few drinks in celebration of Jay. When Will finally meets them there, he proudly announces that the first round is on him.

"To my baby brother. May he finally grow the hell up." Jay shoots him a death glare, but it is lost in the clinking of glasses together as they all cheer to Jay and take a drink.

They fall into an easy conversation and Will starts sharing a story about some dumb antics he and Jay got into when they were kids. At some point during the story, Kevin and Kim slip away, the latter shooting Hailey a knowing wink as they sneak out the front door of the bar, returning a few minutes later with a small plastic bag.

Kim sets down the bag on the table while Kevin keeps his hands hidden behind his back. Jay eyes them both suspiciously, losing all focus on whatever story Will was telling him and pouring all of his energy into staring down his coworkers.

"We wanted to do something nice for your birthday," Kim explains. "And we were going to do it at the district, but we figured you might kill us."

She opens the bag wide and reveals a small store-bought birthday cake. It's frosted white and on the top in messy red lettering, it says "Congrats on not dying this year."

"Decorated it myself," Adam says proudly.

"I can tell." Jay laughs. "Don't quit your day job buddy."

"And," Kevin cuts in. "We all chipped in to get you a gift."

He pulls a black package out from behind his back and hands it to Jay, whose face lights up when he slowly opens the package and realizes what it is.

"Tequila?"

"Fancy tequila," Kevin corrects him. "Hailey said you like that type."

He raises his eye suspiciously, knocking his knee against hers under the table, and she has to try to control the blush rising in her cheeks.

"Well, she was right," He hums knowingly. "Thanks, guys. I'd pour us a drink, but I think Herrmann will kill me if I open up an outside drink in his bar."

"You'll just have to invite us over to drink that beauty," Adam suggests and Jay agrees with a grin, closing the package and moving it to the side of the table, not so accidentally bumping into Hailey as he does so, shooting her another knowing grin when she glances over at him.

After this many years of being partners, they have developed something of a silent communication and she gets from his eyes what he is saying.

Thank you.

The smile she sends him back is an attempt at saying you're welcome and it will have to do until they are home and they can properly say those words and all the other ones they are suppressing.

Kim returns with a knife from the bar and haphazardly cuts and serves the cake to them, the gang laughing at how foolish they must look having their own little party in the back of the bar, but not caring enough to stop.

"So, little brother," Will starts in between bites of cake. "What are the plans for this next year?"

"Pretty much the same as last year?" Jay responds skeptically, eyebrow raised. "Go to work and not die."

"Could we set the bar a little higher and add no major injuries to the list?" Hailey suggests, kicking his foot under the table where no one can see. "Because honestly, the whole hospital visit thing is getting a little old at this point."

It's not the whole truth. What she actually means is "I love you" and "I can't live without you so don't you dare get hurt on me" but they are with their friends, so she can't be completely honest.

But he kicks her foot back and she knows that he just knows.

"I'll try to avoid bullets and other major injuries. I promise."

"Good," Will says, picking up a piece of cake with his fork and pointing it towards his brother. "Because you somehow have become a worse patient in your old age."

"But seriously?" Kim glances between the brothers, obviously trying to divert the conversation away from their bickering. "What do you want to do this year?"

"You're getting pretty close to forty, man," Adam adds.

"Don't say that." Jay side-eyes him and Hailey can't help the loud laugh that escapes her lips.

He always gets a little temperamental about his age and she can't help but tease him because she is a few years younger and she just loves how he looks when he is frustrated.

"I'm just saying, man," Adam continues. "You're getting to that point where people start settling down and being responsible."

"Any plans of getting married and blessing us all with some little Halsteads?" Kevin asks with a cheesy smile, earning a groan from Kim.

"Jay with kids?" Will jokes. "Terrifying."

There is a less than amused look on Jay's face and Hailey bites her tongue to stop from laughing. Will knows far more than the other three at the table about Jay's plans for marriage and kids and how maybe, it's not as far in the future as the others might think, so Hailey is sure he is making this comment to poke a little fun at his brother.

"Just gonna take this year as it comes," Jay says softly as the group's laughter dies down. "I got a good job and I got good friends. I got all I need."

It's not lost on Hailey that his hand brushes against her knee when he says that last part because even if he can't say it right now, she knows she is a part of that list.

He's got a good job, he's got good friends, and he's got her. That's all he needs.

"Lame," Adam calls out before listing different adventurous (and dangerous) things Jay should do before he turns forty.

In the back of her brain, Hailey knows there is no way in hell she is letting him willingly risk his life skydiving or bungee jumping, but something tells her those are not even remotely close to how he wants to spend his next year.

He would be more than content to spend it much like this, laughing softly in the back corner of a bar, with his friends, his brother, and his girl.

It might not be skydiving, but it does not seem like that bad a plan.

By the time they get back to her apartment, it is nearing 11 pm. They had a good time and Hailey knows that Jay enjoyed getting to celebrate his birthday with their closest friends and his brother, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to getting a little bit of alone time with him tonight.

"So," Hailey says as they shake off their jackets. "Do I get to give you your gift now?"

"I get another gift? I thought the tequila was my gift," He hums as he hangs up his own jacket and takes hers from her, hanging it up next to his.

"That's a team gift," She says. "That we just so happen to get to take home...and share."

"Why do I have a feeling this gift is more for you than it is for me?"

She smirks at him as she takes the bottle of tequila from his hands and goes to put it in the kitchen, throwing her head over her shoulder as she says, "Like you weren't gonna share it with me anyway."

"So, you're admitting this is a gift for you?"

She shakes her head with a chuckle as she comes back over to him and grabs his arm, leading him into the living room. "It's a gift for you that I benefit from. One of the many perks of dating."

"Sound logic," He murmurs as they sit on the couch, his arm coming to wrap around her back, his eyebrow raised suggestively. "I remember you saying something about a surprise this morning? Is that the gift we are talking about?"

He attempts to lean forward, but she pushes him gently, keeping her hand pressed against his chest to hold him a few inches away from her. "I got you a gift besides that. Open up your actual gift and then we'll talk."

She can't help but laugh at his exasperated sigh, giving him a quick kiss before she pops off the couch and goes into her room quickly to grab his actual gift. When she returns, a small envelope hidden behind her back, there is a knowing smile on his face.

"I still have to give you your surprise," He says with a smile.

She sits down next to him, mindful to keep his gift hidden. "Oh, you think I forgot about that? How cute."

"Ah." He pretends to be flattered. "You think I'm cute."

"Keep talking and I'll take away that other surprise."

That gets him to sit up straighter and a laugh falls from Hailey's lips as she hands him the gift. "Happy birthday, Jay."

He eyes her playfully as he opens the envelope, his face lighting up when he sees what's inside.

"Playoff tickets?"

The Blackhawks had made the playoff this year and Jay had mentioned a time or twenty about how excited he was about it. She knows he has been a pretty big hockey fan ever since he was a kid, so it seemed like the perfect gift.

"There are two tickets," She explains. "So you can take Will or-"

He cuts her off, grabbing her shirt gently and kissing her hard. She chuckles at his enthusiasm and when she feels him deepen the kiss, she is pretty sure she did okay in the gift department.

"You're crazy if you think I'm taking anyone but you," He whispers when they separate. "My girl and my team? What else do I need?"

She rolls her eyes at his response, already imagining how he will be acting like a kid on Christmas the day of the game.

"Thank you. I love it, I really do." He gives her one more kiss before he leans forward and sets the tickets on the coffee table. Standing up and walking to the kitchen, he calls out to her "Your turn."

She turns around, resting her arms on the back of the couch. "We're gonna have to talk about how this birthday thing works. You typically don't give other people gifts on your birthday."

"Hey, no looking," He ignores her, playful frustration in his voice.

She turns around with a dramatic sigh, crossing her arms as he continues to search for something in the other room. When he comes back to the couch, there is a dangerous smirk on his face and a small bag in his hands.

"I know how birthdays work." He says as he sits down. "But, this isn't for my birthday. It's for our anniversary."

Hailey raises a skeptical brow at him. "I'm like ninety-nine percent sure it is not our anniversary."

He chuckles at her joke. "Not our dating anniversary, but our work anniversary."

She is still confused and it must be written all over her face because he sighs and continues. "Today is the anniversary of when Voight offered you your spot in Intelligence."

She vaguely remembers that day, Kevin and Adam mentioning that it was Jay's birthday and they were going to take him to the bar to celebrate. She even thinks she wished him a happy birthday as he told her that Voight wanted to see her, leading to the conversation with her now boss that would forever change her life.

"I don't think I ever put that together," Hailey murmurs.

"That day changed my life," He says softly. "I didn't even know it then...I mean, I was so pissed the first couple of weeks we were working together. But, you taking your job in Intelligence is by far one of the greatest things that has happened to me."

She can't help but lean forward and kiss this sweet man with his sweet words. Starting in Intelligence all those years ago seemed to be a happy accident and if someone told her this is where she would end up, she would not believe them. But here she is, the happiest she has ever been in her career and wildly in love with her partner.

Boy is she happy she said yes to Voight's offer.

"Intelligence is the best thing that happened to me too," She whispers as she pulls away, resting her forehead on his. "It gave me a home, good friends...you."

She emphasizes the last word, the thumping of her heart only increasing as she sees him smile. It feels like some strange aligning of the stars that she would get a job offer that would change her life on his birthday. Like, maybe, their paths were intertwined well before they even knew it.

Like, maybe this was always supposed to happen.

He presses the small bag into her hands, a sweet smile on his face, as he whispers, "Happy anniversary, Hailey."

She can't help but chuckle at his loving tone, slowly removing the tissue paper and reaching to pull out a long metal chain. She looks at him questioningly as she holds it in her hands, her fingers grazing over the silver chain and the two metal dog tags at the bottom of the chain.

"The first one is one of my old dog tags from my time overseas," He explains before she can say anything. "They put your name and all your information on it in case anything ever happens to you. You wear two so one will be used to notify your family and then they can keep it. And then you are buried with the other one."

Her index finger traces over the older, worn-out tag, scanning over where it says "Halstead, Jay A." which is followed by his social security number and blood type. She flips it over and studies the second tag, a newer, shinier metal that she knows he did not wear with him overseas.

"And this one?"

"That one's for you."

In what she recognizes to be Jay's handwriting is engraved "Got your six. Always."

"A buddy of mine works at some pawn shop and does a little bit of engraving work on the side," Jay says as she stares at the dog tag. "He had me write it and he was able to engrave it like that."

"So, this is where you went this morning?" She looks up, a small smile on her face as she continues to clutch the dog tags.

He hums. "I left them at my apartment so you wouldn't find them. I meant to run over there last night but we got out of work so late that I figured it would be easier to slip out this morning. Didn't think you would wake up."

He winks as he says the last part, that cheeky smile she loves so much returning and normally she would kiss it away, but right now, she is hyperfocused on the metal tags in her hands.

"Why are you giving me this?" She whispers, grasping his old military tag. "Shouldn't this be somewhere safe?"

"You're somewhere safe," He chuckles, but the seriousness in his eyes is not lost on her. When she does not laugh at his joke, he sighs and rests his hand on top of hers.

"My life before I met you...it was complicated, to say the least," He tells her. "The war was a big part of that. When I came back, I was hurting, but I refused to get help. So, for a really long time, I was angry and I really didn't have anything to live for. But, then I met you. You encouraged me to get the help I needed and you stood by me and you supported me."

"Meeting you saved me," He continues. "I got better and I healed. My life had a purpose and I finally had something...someone who really made everything worth it."

She can feel the tears starting to well in her eyes at his words. He is not one for big declarations of his love, but when he does tell her how he is feeling, he never fails to amaze her. He is something, this strong sweet man of hers and she will never be able to explain to him how proud she is of all he has been through, of how far he has come.

"I figured it would be a good anniversary gift because it's a good reminder," He tells her, removing his hand from on top of hers and picking up the dog tags, keeping his hand next to hers in her lap.

"This one," He holds his old military dog tag, "is to remember that you stood by me."

He gently picks up the new shiny dog tag, before looking at her with a soft smile "And this one is to remember that I will be by your side every day. Just like you were by my side."

Speechless at his words, she just grasps his hands, the dog tags and chain somewhere lost between their fingers and leans forward to kiss him. It's not frenzied or heavy, but rather, it's like a thank you.

A thank you for the dog tags. A thank you for being by her side. A thank you for changing her life in much the same way she changed his.

"I love you, you know that?" She tells him in a breathy whisper, even more aware of the way her eyes are watering. He rests his forehead on hers and uses his thumb to wipe away the single tear that falls, kissing her cheek after he does so.

"I love you too." He murmurs. "Thanks for being the best birthday present I ever got."

She lets out a soft laugh at his words and she leans forward to press one more quick kiss to his lips before leaning back, removing her hand from his to inspect the dog tags again. A small smile grows on her lips and she glances up at him when she says, "I know it wasn't my birthday, but you were a pretty good gift too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She confirms. "I know I don't tell you a lot, but you're kinda the best thing that has happened to me."

"Just kinda?" He cocks his head to the side, all of that boyish charm she loves so much coming to the forefront and she can't help the loud laugh that escapes her.

"You are the best thing. I love you, you idiot," She reiterates. "Happy?"

"You say that like I'm forcing you-"

She rolls her eyes dramatically at his words, but she is quick to lean forward and kiss him again, cutting off whatever he was going to say.

"Definitely not forcing me. But, if you want-" She draws out the last part, waiting for him to get where she is going with this, chuckling as he raises his eyebrow.

"I could always show you how much I love you."

The smile on his face is wide and it makes everything else fade away because all she can see is him. Her sweet man, who loves her so, who has changed her life for the better and continues to change her every day. When she started in Intelligence a few years ago, she had no clue this is where she would end up, but right now, seeing him shoot her that dopey smile, she knows there is nowhere else she wants to be.

"I do seem to remember something about celebrating tonight."

"You do?" She questions jokingly. "Wasn't sure if you would remember in your old age?"

He rolls his eyes but seems to ignore her comment, instead reaching into her hand to take the dog tags. He raises the chain over her head and when she figures out what he is doing, she leans forward, her eyes steadied on him as he slips the chain and dog tags over her head and lays them on her chest. He adjusts the tags and then fixes her hair, moving it out from under the chain and brushing it behind her shoulders.

"I got pretty lucky when I met you...even if you tease me relentlessly."

"It's just because I love you,"

He hums and kisses her again, slower this time, intent on starting these celebrations they have joked about all day and as she feels his hands graze her sides and start to play with the hem of her shirt for the second time today, she can't find it in herself to protest.

"How's this rank for birthdays?" She whispers as her hand moves to rest on his neck.

"Not bad," He smiles, his lips just centimeters from hers, their foreheads pressed together. "Definitely one of the better ones."

"Good."

He leans forward to catch her lips again and any talk or teasing is lost when he deepens the kiss. As they allow themselves to slowly become wrapped up in each other in much the same way they have countless nights before, Hailey can't help but think how thankful she is that he was born all those years ago today and that somehow their paths crossed.

It feels something like fate, that she happened to walk into that bank on that day and the fact that he was standing there waiting for her. It feels like some force in the universe has been at work for the past four years, writing their story as they slowly turned from strangers to partners to friends to more.

Call it fate or destiny, she does not care. She is just happy they found each other, just like they were supposed to.

Reviews?

Big thanks to one of my favs imjustwritingg for the tequila joke from Hailey. That's all her and her genius mind!

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