Happy Halloween! Hope you enjoy this fluffy little upstead one shot to celebrate! Thanks to my pal morganupstead for the idea of the Burzek family costume!
It's one of their first holidays not spent at Molly's. They were there for Christmas, of course, the night where he grabbed her hand and tugged her out of that crowded bar and kissed her for the first time outside in the cold crisp air.
(They joked that night about him needing an excuse to kiss her and after that night, he never needed an excuse to kiss her again. He could kiss her freely and that was definitely his favorite Christmas gift.)
And then there's New Year's Eve, the night they spent there where he didn't kiss her, but he so desperately wanted to. They sat at a table with their best friends in the all too loud bar, her hand intertwined with his under the table, and when she smiled at him at midnight, he thought about how he wanted to spend all his holidays like that, with her.
(And kissing her no less than an hour later at 12:51 am in the safety of her apartment, he knew he needed to spend all his holidays just like this.)
Valentine's Day was not spent at Molly's, rather working a case all day, and then quietly celebrating together when they finally got home late that night. But they went to Molly's with the regular crew a few days before Valentine's Day and listened to their single friends make jokes about the holiday.
(They both kept their mouths shut, biting their lips to keep from laughing and spilling their secret.)
And then there's Saint Patrick's Day, the holiday where they spent a solid hour in Molly's before sneaking off to find their own bar, a hole-in-the-wall pub filled with music and laughter. He held her tight against his body that night and told her stories about his childhood before they talked about holidays they would spend with their future children.
(When they returned to work, they got a handful of teasing comments about where they escaped to on parade night, but all of the jokes feel incredibly worth it.)
His birthday technically isn't a holiday, but they spent that day at Molly's too before they went back to her place and exchanged gifts, celebrating both his turning thirty-seven and her walking through the doors of a bank all those years ago.
(He gave her his old dog tags that night and he knows she has looked at them every day since, their own little secret reminder that they've always supported each other and always will.)
The Fourth of July is actually the first holiday they didn't spend at Molly's but they spent it out with their friends, drinks flowing and laughter loud, so it felt pretty similar. It felt pretty special too because it was the first holiday where he was able to hold her hand and freely kiss her in front of their friends, their secret finally out in the open.
(And of course, their friends made them go to Molly's just a few short days later and asked them endless questions about how this little situation came to be.)
But then there's today. Halloween. And they aren't going to celebrate at Molly's with countless drinks and loud laughter. No, instead, they are volunteering at the Halloween carnival that the 21st District puts on every year.
It was supposed to be their night off and Jay and Hailey had no plans besides getting a big bag of candy and handing it out at one of their apartments while they lounged on the couch and eventually fell asleep watching some old horror film. But the day before the carnival, Trudy came up to Intelligence and asked if anyone could lend a hand for the event, stating that they were short-staffed.
Normally, the events like this would go to one of the officers, Jay and Hailey having already done their fair share of overtime before they became detectives. But they also know that Kim has been talking about taking Makayla to this event for months and that Adam was supposed to accompany them. Jay immediately saw the look of disappointment on Kim's face as soon as the request was out of Trudy's mouth, and he did not have to think twice before he volunteered him and Hailey for the night.
She didn't argue and later that night, she told him that if he didn't volunteer them that second, she was about to.
Today's not a celebration at Molly's but in some aspects, it's similar to all those holidays before. His hand is pressed in hers as they walk up to the carnival and every time he glances at her, his gaze lingers a little longer than necessary.
"I don't understand why we couldn't have just worn our police uniforms."
"I'm sorry," Hailey scoffs at Jay's grumblings. They are near the entrance for the carnival, the grounds still quiet as they wait for the event to begin, and Hailey drops Jay's hand reluctantly as she turns to face him. "But you'd rather wear our annoying polyester uniforms than a Halloween costume?"
"Yes," he rolls his eyes. When he volunteered them for the event, he had no idea that it would entail costumes, a little detail Trudy conveniently forgot until it was too late to back out. "We could have been cops. That's technically a costume."
"That's our uniform, not a costume," Hailey reminds him, nodding for them to keep walking.
"What about cop costumes? Even that would have been better than this," Jay grumbles again and Hailey lets out a loud laugh before she elbows his side and softens her tone so only he can hear.
"So, what?" She laughs. "Then I could have been a sexy cop? I'm sure you would have loved that."
"You're always a sexy cop," he winks at her, and Hailey just rolls her eyes, but it is clear the effects his words have on her, the tops of her cheeks tinting red.
"I don't get why you are complaining," Hailey changes the subject as she lightly grabs his hand again, tugging him to follow after her on their quest to find Trudy. "These barely even count as costumes. You're wearing jeans and a t-shirt."
With how little of a heads-up they had for the carnival combined with the constant chaos that is their lives, they did not have too much time to think about costumes. But what they both did have was black striped shirts, black jeans, and black beanies, leading to their current costumes.
Bank robbers.
It's ironic because they spend their whole days fighting off crime but here they are at a community event representing the police station and they are dressed up as the very people they put away on a daily basis. Hailey tells him it's funny, though, despite his constant grumbling about the idea. When they told the rest of the team about it, Kim thought it would be cute, stating she even had some black masks at home that Makayla used for dress-up that they could borrow.
Jay hates it, he really does, but he thinks Hailey looks cute and he likes how much she is smiling despite the silliness of it all. And he knows it is a small price to pay for Kim, Adam, and Makayla to be able to enjoy their night, so he thinks he can quit complaining for a few hours and suck it up.
They hear Trudy before they see her, yelling out some orders to a few of the patrol cops who got roped into working this event too, and Hailey laughs quietly to herself as they approach Trudy. As the patrol officers disperse, Trudy turns her head and catches a glimpse of the two detectives, a knowing smile growing on her face. Jay groans quietly as Hailey drops his hand, waiting for the inevitable teasing that is about to come.
"Nice costumes, detectives," Trudy says, taking a step forward and eyeing their outfits up and down. "Although, maybe next year we could choose costumes that don't promote a life of crime."
"That's what I said-" Jay starts to argue but Hailey looks up at him, eyebrows raised, and the argument dies on his lips.
"Where do you want us?" Hailey turns to Trudy.
"Just need you two to pass out candy," Trudy tells them, nodding to her right and signaling the two detectives to follow as she leads them to where they'll be for the night.
"That's it?" Jay asks, a few steps behind Trudy.
"Yup," Trudy throws her head over her shoulder. "You two are doing me a real favor by being here, so you get the easy job. The grunt work goes to the new recruits."
Jay chuckles, thinking back to the terrible things he used to get roped into his first year of being an officer, and he can only imagine how much worse these patrol officers have it with Trudy at the helm.
Trudy leads them to a small table with an orange tablecloth near the middle of the carnival. On it are two large bowls of candy, filled to the rims with different chocolates and lollipops.
"Just give each kid a handful of candy and give the parents a flyer for the junior police program and the calendar with the list of events at the community center," Trudy explains. "Really not that complicated."
'Sounds good to me," Hailey hums, glancing at Jay quickly before looking back over to Trudy. "Anything else you need from us?"
"Nah, I'll make the patrol officers do it," Trudy smiles. "Randall's gonna swing by later in the night with more candy in case you run out. You two all good here?"
Jay and Hailey both nod and Trudy wanders off to set up the rest of the carnival and micromanage the patrol officers. Once she is out of sight, Hailey looks up at Jay with a knowing smile and laughs out quietly, "At least we got the easy job."
"Seriously," Jay chuckles, taking a step back Hailey to the other side of the table. As she follows to stand beside him, he jokes, "If we got roped into doing the face painting or working the dunk tank. I might have regretted volunteering us."
Hailey smiles and then takes a seat on the folding chairs set up behind the table, waiting for Jay to sit next to her before she says, "I still think it's really nice that you signed us up for this. I mean, obviously, it's not the ideal way to spend the night but-"
"But we can watch movies on the couch any night," he finishes her thought with a laugh. "Makayla would have been devastated if Kim or Adam had to come do this. And if Kev volunteered, one of us would still need to do it. At least this way we're spending the night together."
"Still," Hailey hums, kicking Jay's foot playfully. 'It's really sweet that you're thinking of Makayla."
"Yeah, well…she's a kid. She should get to enjoy Halloween."
"You a fan of Halloween when you were a kid? Hailey leans back in her chair, eyes softly focused on Jay.
"When I was really little," Jay tells her with a smile. "I think I just liked the free candy part."
"Jay Halstead liking candy," Hailey gasps, and Jay just rolls his eyes. "I am shocked."
"Hailey, I was seven," he laughs. "Of course, I liked candy. I wasn't some kind of a monster."
She gives off a quiet laugh and turns in her seat, elbow resting on the back of her chair as she rests her head in the palm of her hand. "What did you used to dress up as?"
"Oh geez," Jay breathes out as he tries to think. "I think my mom did the stereotypical pumpkin thing for my first Halloween. And then there were a few years she made me and Will do sibling costumes."
"Sibling costumes?" Hailey questions, the amusement evident in her voice. "Oh no."
"Oh yes," Jay confirms. "I think one year we were superheroes and the next year we were pirates. And we definitely were Mario and Luigi one year."
"Which one were you?"
"Mario," Jay deadpans, making Hailey laugh. "Obviously."
"I can see it," she hums, eyeing him up and down playfully. "How long until you wouldn't let your mom pick your costume anymore?"
"I was like five or six," Jay tells her with a smile. "My costumes weren't too much better then, though. It was always a superhero or something sports-related. I think I was a cop one year, though."
Hailey's eyes widen at the mention of his last costume, and she sits up a bit straighter, picking up her head from her hand. "And you have pictures of that one, correct?"
"No," Jay laughs, shaking his head. "No, I do not."
Hailey rolls her eyes. "You're lying and I know it. I am getting those pictures from Will."
"What about you, huh?" Jay changes the subject, ignoring the annoyed face Hailey shoots at him. "What did you used to dress up as?"
"I think I was a bear on my first Halloween?" Hailey tells him in a questioning tone and Jay can't help the laughter that bubbles out of his chest at the thought of her dressed like that. "After that, it was just a revolving door of different blonde princesses for a while. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty…Tinker Bell a couple of times. I think I stopped dressing up by like nine or ten though."
"Why?" Jay asks but as soon as the question is out of his mouth, he knows the answer. Her face changes, just a little, but he knows what she is going to say even before she needs to say it and it immediately makes him regret his question.
"It was just one of those things that kinda fell by the wayside with everything else," she says vaguely, and he knows that she is trying to not bring down the lighthearted mood of the night. But still, he can't help but reach his hand out towards her, grabbing her left hand that is resting in her lap and giving it a squeeze.
Throughout the course of their relationship, she has told him that as the abuse continued to get worse, there were more and more normal childhood events she started missing out on. She didn't want her parents coming to parent breakfasts at school and she couldn't sleep over at friends' houses if she had bruises on her arms. Normal outings and vacations started to become less frequent.
And clearly, celebrating Halloween was one of those things that got pushed to the side too.
"What about now?" He asks lightly, his hand still wrapped up in hers. "Halloween and Easter are your favorite holidays because of the candy, right?"
Hailey laughs quietly at his joke, squeezing his hand to let him know she appreciates the out he is giving her from talking about her family. "Yeah. But Halloween is better because the candy is better. Everyone knows that."
"Hailey, it's the same candy-" he starts to argue, but her eyes go wide, and she raises her eyebrows in a silent challenge for him to finish his sentence.
"It is not the same and if you think that, we might need to reevaluate the status of our relationship."
"Noted," he chuckles. A comfortable silence falls over them and he keeps a hold of her hand as he watches her. Everything in him wishes he could take all that pain from her past away from her, but he knows that is not possible. All he can do now is try to give her happy memories in their place.
And maybe it's not much, being here and handing out candy with her at some community carnival, but it's a start. It's their first Halloween together, so he wants to make it special.
It's definitely not their last Halloween together though and he knows that in the years to come, he is going to make an even bigger effort to do something special. Much more special than their original plans of watching horror movies on the couch with a deep-dish pizza.
She deserves everything. And that is what he is going to give her.
After a few minutes, she hesitantly lets go of his hand as more people start to show up to the fair. They fall into easy small talk, pointing out different kids' costumes and commenting on their favorites. They see some of their friends go past with their kids, Cindy Hermann with her youngest two dressed up as a princess and a dalmatian, and Donna Boden with Terrance, who is wearing a dinosaur costume.
"These kids really go all out," Jay hums to Hailey after a child in a creepy clown costume skips away from their booth, happily rifling through their plastic pumpkin and looking at the candy Jay and Hailey just gave them.
They're both standing now, making it easier to hand out candy and talk to the families, and Hailey leans to the side and presses her arm against Jay's playfully. "And here I thought you didn't like Halloween costumes."
"Never said I didn't like costumes in general," Jay chuckles, turning slightly towards her. "I just don't like dressing up as a full-grown adult."
"Lame," Hailey mutters and he is about to quip back with a smart response of his own, but another child, a little boy no older than five, runs up to their booth, an adult woman following behind him.
"Woah, that's a lot of candy," the little boy's eyes grow wide as he looks at the two bowls of candy, and then, he glances up at Jay and Hailey. "Are you real bad guys?"
Jay chuckles at the little boy, dressed in his own cop costume complete with a badge and fake handcuffs. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Hailey smiling at the child, and her expression warms his heart.
"Nope, we're not real bad guys," Jay says, squatting down a bit so he is eye level with the boy. "Just costumes. In real life, we are police officers just like you."
"Really!?" The little boys' eyes grow even wider than when he saw the candy and it makes Jay laugh.
"Yeah."
"I'm not actually a real police officer," the boy confesses, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "It's just a costume."
"Well, it's a really cool costume," Jay says with a smile in an attempt to cheer up the little boy. "And your badge looks just like my badge."
Jay reaches down to his waist and unclips his badge and then holds it out for him to look at. "See? They look almost the same."
The little boy intently studies the badge, his eyes darting between the fake plastic one on his chest and the real one in Jay's hands and after a moment, he sends a large, toothy smile up towards Jay. "They are the same! I'm gonna have one of those real badges when I'm a grown-up. My auntie is a cop and I want to be just like her."
"Well, I think you are going to be a great cop," Jay says, sending the little boy one last smile before he straightens up and reaches for one of the flyers, handing it to the little boy's mom. "There's a junior police program that the district does. I think he's a little young but it might be a nice fit when he's older."
The mom takes the flyer and hums knowingly. "My sister mentions the junior police program all the time. Dylan says that is all he wants to do for his tenth birthday."
Jay smiles at the little boy proudly. "Well, I think Officer Dylan is going to be a great cop one day."
"Until then," Hailey cuts in, grabbing some candy out of the bowl and dropping it in Dylan's bucket. "You're gonna need to stock up on some candy. Police officers love candy."
"They do?" Dylan looks up at Hailey in surprise.
"Oh yeah," Jay chuckles. "Detective Upton here loves candy. And she's the best police officer I know. But police officers also love vegetables."
Dylan's mom laughs at the last part and Dylan's shoulders shrug a bit. "That's what my mom says."
"Well, your mom is right," Hailey laughs quietly.
The little boy nods and then he looks quickly through his bucket at the new candy before looking at Jay and Hailey again. "Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Police Officer."
Before they can respond, Dylan grabs his mom's hand and starts tugging her to another booth at the carnival. Jay just watches them go, a smile playing on his lips. He can feel the weight of Hailey's stare on him and a moment later, he turns to look at her, noticing the smirk on her face.
"What?"
"You were good with that kid," Hailey hums, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Yeah?" Jay questions, turning again quickly to see if Dylan is still in sight but the little boy is long gone. "He was a good kid. Seemed really excited to be a cop."
"Yeah, he did," Hailey agrees quietly. "You guys were really cute together."
He recognizes the look on Hailey's face, and it's evident there is something going on in that brain of hers that she is not quite letting out.
"Yeah?" He hums out, eyebrow raised, letting her know that he can tell there is something else on her mind, but she doesn't bite.
"Yup," she pops the p, wearing a proud little smile on her face.
He laughs quietly and drops the conversation, figuring he can bring it up again when they go back to one of their apartments tonight. For now, he just settles on bumping his shoulder against hers to get her attention. She looks up at him and Jay smiles, a playful and flirtatious grin, and his heart quickens at the way her nose scrunches up happily when she sees him.
The rest of the night is much of the same. Handing out candy and talking to a few families. Jay tells Hailey a few stories about trick or treating as a kid and how he and Will would always end up fighting over the good candy. Hailey laughs, shaking her head in amusement, before adding her own story of how she and her brothers came up with the ultimate plan to get all the best Halloween candy when she was seven.
Towards the end of the night, as their bowls are starting to become pathetically empty, they see three familiar smiles making their way toward their booth, the smallest one running over to Jay and Hailey with a newfound eagerness.
"Kim told me you guys would be here!" Makayla exclaims happily as she reaches them, her costume bouncing as she runs.
The little girl is dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Ever since Kim showed her the movie a few weeks ago, it has been all she has talked about, and she knew she wanted to be Belle for Halloween. Kim went all out, telling the team she wanted to give Makayla a memorable first Halloween with her. Makayla is wearing Belle's yellow dress, complete with a crown, while Kim is in a dress that resembles Belle's blue one from the beginning of the movie.
And Adam? Adam is the beast.
"Of course," Hailey laughs as Makayla comes over and wraps her arms around Hailey's torso in a hug. "We remembered that the red lollipops were your favorite, so we made sure to hide a couple just for you."
"Really?" Makayla's eyes grow wide, and Jay puts up a finger, motioning for her to wait a second as he digs into his pocket and pulls out three red lollipops. The little girl gasps and lets go of Hailey before going to wrap Jay in a big hug.
"Thank you, thank you thank you," Makayla says quickly before turning back to look at Kim. "Kim, can I have one now? Please?"
Makayla draws out the last word and her lower lip pops out in a pout, making Jay chuckle as he looks down at the little girl who is still anchored against his torso. Kim rolls her eyes playfully, letting out a fake sigh before nodding.
"Well, how am I supposed to say no to that?" Kim laughs. "Just one for today, okay?"
Makayla squeals in excitement and Jay hands over the lollipops as Makayla lets go of his waist. She starts unwrapping one of the lollipops as she happily skips back over to stand next to Adam and Kim, showing Adam what she just got.
"How are you two enjoying your night?" Kim asks, smiling as she glances at Jay and Hailey in their costumes, but she bites her tongue and thankfully does not make a comment.
"Not bad," Hailey tells her. "Trudy thankfully gave us the easy job. You guys have fun?"
"Oh yeah," Kim smiles and then nods over to Adam and Makayla. "These two had a great time. Got all the candy, right Mak?"
Makayla excitedly nods with a large smile. "Adam said I probably have enough candy to last me until January."
"Woah," Jay chuckles. "That's a lot of candy."
"Thanks again for doing this," Kim says, quieter this time as Makayla and Adam start talking about what candy they are going to get into first. "This is my first Halloween with her, and I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't bring her to this. It really made her so happy."
"Don't mention it," Jay waves her off. "She's happy. That's all that matters."
"Well, thanks again. We both really appreciate it," Kim smiles before turning around to Makayla. "But I probably should get this ball of sugar to bed tonight before she never sleeps again."
"Of course," Hailey laughs. "It's very important for a princess to get her sleep."
"Or a beast," Jay adds, earning a groan from Adam. "Nice beard buddy. Almost couldn't tell it was a costume."
"You laugh now but one day you are going to be dressed up with your kids and it will be my turn to mock you," Adam argues, unable to stay serious long before he is scooping up Makayla and pulling her into a bear hug. "But I couldn't say no to this one. Plus, I think the costume suits me."
"Oh, it suits you all right," Hailey teases and Adam just sticks his tongue out at her, choosing to focus on Makayla instead of fighting back with Hailey, although by the look on his face, it's clear he wants to.
"Hey, we'll see you guys at work on Monday," Kim calls out as Adam and Makayla start to stroll away. "Have a good rest of your night."
"Happy Halloween!" Makayla yells over to them before she tugs on Adam's hand and starts racing away.
Jay and Hailey both look at each other in amusement as the little family wanders off, Jay shaking his head with a laugh. "Man, if you told me five years ago that this is how those two would end up, I would not have believed it."
"They're happy," Hailey hums. "They deserve it."
"They do," Jay agrees.
"Speaking of deserving things," Hailey lowers her voice and turns to Jay, letting her fingers gently graze against his hand. "The carnival is almost over. And I feel like we deserve to go home soon and celebrate the fact that we survived the whole night here."
"Oh, really?" Jay murmurs, eyebrow raised, and Hailey lets her head back in laughter at his response.
"I meant eating the extra candy and watching a movie on the couch," she teases. "I don't know where your head was at."
"Oh, you're evil."
Hailey winks at him and reaches for a piece of chocolate, slowly unwrapping the tiny candy before throwing the wrapper at him and laughing, "I know."
The rest of the night goes off without a hitch and a little less than an hour later, the carnival starts clearing out and they start tearing everything down. Jay and Hailey help for a bit until Trudy tells them to go home, citing that they have already helped out enough and they should at least enjoy some of their night.
Jay drives them back to Hailey's apartment and they quickly make work of shedding off their ridiculous costumes and getting into more comfortable clothes. As Jay finishes up switching his jeans for sweatpants, Hailey wanders out to the couch in her leggings and one of his old sweatshirts, plopping herself down with an exaggerated huff.
"You tired?" Jay hums as he walks into the living room, going the long way around the couch to come and sit on the other end.
"Good tired," Hailey rests her head on the back of the couch and smiles over at him. "It was a good night."
There's that smile again, and even if it's tired and looks like it is ready to fall asleep at any minute, it's still his favorite sight. She has smiled a lot tonight, at the sight of children running around and at the sight of Makayla in her costume and it makes him think of how her smile might grow in Halloweens to come.
"It was," Jay agrees softly. He stretches out his arm on the back of the couch, his fingers brushing against her hair. "Better than watching movies on the couch?"
"I mean-" Hailey draws out suggestively, a devilish smile playing on her lips. "I really do like nights on the couch."
"I know," Jay hums, kicking his leg against her thigh with a playful smirk. For a moment, it's silent as they just watch each other, the pads of Jay's fingers absentmindedly playing with the ends of Hailey's hair. She lets out a small yawn and Jay laughs quietly as she tries to suppress it.
He leans forward to lightly tap her shoulder, getting her attention. She sends him a sleepy smile and Jay fights the urge to lean forward and just kiss it away. "You seemed happy tonight," he whispers.
"I was. It was a good night," she repeats softly, laughing a little at his whispered confession.
"You like Halloween," he says and it's not so much a question but a comment. All through the night, he noticed how she smiled at children's costumes and snuck a piece of candy or two when she thought he was not looking, humming in contentment when she popped the treat in her mouth. At first, he thought it was just her trying to make the best of the night but as time passed, he figured out what it was.
She likes Halloween.
And that's what makes it harder, the fact that she does not have that many good memories of this holiday from her childhood. Halloween is supposed to be one of those things you look back on fondly. But Hailey was not afforded that luxury. It's just another little thing that her father took away from her.
"I guess," Hailey sighs. "I never really thought about it that much."
"What do you like about it?" Jay persists gently, catching Hailey off guard and she sits up a little straighter on the couch, resting her elbow on the back and letting her head come to rest in her palm. Jay follows her movement, sitting up straighter and moving closer to her. As he scoots forward, he reaches for her hand, wrapping up her fingers in his and resting them in her lap.
"It's just always fun," Hailey says after a moment. "Everyone is always happy on Halloween. You get to dress up as whatever you want and there's endless candy. Every kid's dream."
Jay hums at her words, his eyes focused on their hands and the way his thumb grazes over her skin. If he takes a moment and really listens to her words, he hears her explaining to him that Halloween is carefree, it's magical and it's fun, all words that were not characteristic of her childhood, so it makes a bit more sense why she might like the holiday. "I never thought of it like that. I guess it is a pretty cool day."
Jay looks up from their intertwined hands to see her smiling softly down at him, a small laugh escaping her lips. He cocks his head at her in confusion and her smile only grows. "You were really cute with that kid today."
He remembers her mentioning it earlier, a teasing smirk on her face and that look in her eyes that always tells him there is more on her mind, but he didn't push it. But now, they are alone, in the quiet of her apartment, and he would be lying if that little comment has not been on his mind for the better part of the night.
"We saw lots of kids tonight," Jay chuckles lightly. "I mean, we spent more time with Mak than we did that little boy."
"I know," Hailey nods. "You were just really sweet with him…" she pauses, hesitantly, her cheeks starting to redden as she quietly adds, "I liked it."
He raises his eyebrows in surprise, taken aback by her words. He was expecting teasing or her to pass off earlier as a joke. But her eyes are serious, soft as she gazes at him, waiting for his response.
"Yeah?" He whispers.
"Yeah," she hums, the redness on her cheeks starting to dim as she gains her confidence. "I don't get to see you with kids a lot so it was just nice I guess."
Jay chuckles at the explanation, making the blush in her cheeks start to return. "You see me with Makayla all the time."
"I know," Hailey says quickly. "You're really good with her too."
"So are you," Jay shakes their hands to get her attention, letting her know he is serious. "You should have seen how much you were smiling when she hugged you today."
Hailey didn't see it but Jay did. The way Hailey's smile lit up when the little girl ran right towards her. The way Hailey's eyes twinkled every time Makayla laughed. The way Hailey, his strong badass detective, went soft the moment she saw the little girl.
Jay has seen her with Makayla countless times before. The two of them have watched her several times so Adam and Kim can go out for the night. They have taken her to the park on weekends and spent random Sundays having game nights with her, Adam, Kim, and Kevin.
And every time Jay has thought Hailey was good with kids and it warmed his heart, thinking about how she might be with their future kids one day. But there was something about tonight, the way she laughed, the way she smiled, the way she went soft, that had him falling in love with her all over again.
"You were pretty smiley too," Hailey murmurs, the quiet contentment clear in her voice. But she's still got that look telling him that there is something else on her mind and it's clear she won't let it out without some prompting.
"What are you thinking?"
Hailey smiles, shaking her head smally at his question, clearly amused by the way he can read her thoughts. She squeezes their still joined hands, waiting a moment before she whispers, "When we have kids, little police officers would be a pretty cute costume."
When we have kids…
It's not an if but a when.
They're ten months into their relationship, and this thing between them is long since new but it still amazes him how just a few simple words from her can flip his whole world. They've had the whole kids conversation, both agreeing that is something they want someday, neither of them in a rush. They want to take their time, enjoy the moments of just the two of them before they bring a baby into this world.
But still. It's not a question of if they'll have that baby. It's just a matter of when they will bring that little child with bright blue eyes and freckles home.
"Isn't it cliché if we dress our kids up as police officers?" Jay asks and Hailey laughs, a happy sound that makes him smile again.
"Maybe," she hums, a twinkle in her eye. And he can't help but wonder if she can see it now, a brown-haired freckled little boy and his younger blonde-haired blue-eyed sister dressed up in cop costumes, complete with plastic handcuffs and badges, impersonating their parents.
"What all would we do with those little police officers?" Jay asks and he watches as Hailey's smile starts to grow.
"Trick or treating obviously," Hailey starts. "That's a must. Carving pumpkins. Maybe we even take them to the pumpkin patch to pick out their own pumpkins," she pauses, thinking before she adds, "And those parades that they have at the kids' schools. Like the ones where the kids get all dressed up and walk around the block and the parents come watch. We should go to that."
Listening to the list, Jay knows it's all the things she wishes she could have done as a child. Going to the pumpkin patch with her brothers and bringing the largest pumpkin home and then carving some ridiculous design in it. Wearing her Halloween costume to school and walking around the block and being able to look out and see her parents waving at her just like all the other kids could. Going trick or treating with her brothers and actually being able to enjoy her time instead of worrying about how drunk her father might get later that night.
They are all experiences he knows she did not get as a child but in this moment, Jay vows to let her have these experiences as a mother.
"That all sounds like a nice plan for a future Halloween," Jay murmurs and now, he can see it too. A few kids, fighting over candy, the youngest tugging at their costume and the oldest begging that they go trick or treating now. It's chaotic and it's loud and it's messy but it's also wonderful and it's happy and it's them.
"Future Halloween," Hailey laughs quietly, pulling him out of his daydream and bringing him back to now. "Very far future Halloween."
Jay chuckles, shaking his and Hailey's hands playfully, making her laugh again too. "What? Don't want a kid by next Halloween?"
Her eyes grow wide, and she immediately drops his hand, leaning forward to shove him playfully. "No. No way in hell."
"What?" He teases, unable to help from smiling at her response. He reaches past her, poking at her side, enjoying the way she squirms when he does so. "Think about how cute a little baby in a cop costume-"
"No," Hailey giggles out louder this time, trying to wiggle away from him. She scoots away from him on the couch, but it does no good, Jay just moving closer to her and continuing to poke at the spots he knows will make her laugh.
Hailey successfully grabs his wrist, holding his hand out away from her dramatically as she stares him down. "No. No way. It is way too early for a kid. It's been less than a year. We don't even live together."
"Okay," Jay breathes out, demeanor immediately turning soft and serious. "Let's move in together then."
Hailey drops his hand, eyes growing wider than when he mentioned them having a kid because this time, she knows he isn't joking. "What…Jay, we were messing around…"
"I know," he hums. "But you bring up a good point. Moving in together is the next step. So, let's move in together."
The way she looks at him, it's like he is crazy, and Jay thinks he might laugh if he wasn't being so serious. It's not like they have never brought up the idea of moving in together but it's always been a casual conversation and something later down the line. And he's not quite sure what's bringing on the sudden urge to throw all his stuff in cardboard boxes and pack it all up in the back of his truck to lug it across town.
Maybe it's the idea of a future with her. Getting an apartment, getting married, buying a house, raising children. Perhaps, moving in together is their next step towards forever and Jay is just really excited for forever to begin.
"Jay, you don't have to-"
"But I want to," he cuts her off, unable to help the way his smile grows. "I want to move in with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning and go to sleep with you every night. I want to start building our life together."
The last part of his statement is muffled by Hailey leaning forward to kiss him, her hand finally letting go of his and coming to cup his cheek. He hums against her kiss and lets his hand graze against her side, fingers playing with the hem of her shirt absentmindedly.
She pulls away, just an inch, and rests her forehead against his. "All this because I mentioned dressing up our kids as cops one day?"
"That," he hums, lifting his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He gives her one more quick kiss, leaning back a bit more and laughing quietly at the way she pouts. "And just how happy you were tonight. You smiled a lot."
"I smile every day, Jay," Hailey shakes her head in amusement. "Yet you've managed to make it ten months without asking me to move in with you."
He rolls his eyes at her teasing, and he reaches back out for her hand, smiling when she takes it without hesitation. "I know…but tonight…you just looked so happy," he explains. "And it made me think about how I wanted more of that, you know? More of us being happy. Celebrating the holidays. Just being together."
Her small, hesitant smile continues to grow through his whole confession until it's a wild grin that is taking over her whole face. "And none of this has to do with you wanting a baby by next Halloween."
"That I was kidding about," he laughs. "But I know that you are it for me. And I want all of that with you. So, why wait?"
"Why wait?" She hums, mulling over the question and before he can respond any further, she throws her legs over him, coming to sit on his lap, her chest squared up with his. He laughs quietly as she raises both of her hands to cup his cheeks, pressing a soft, slow kiss against his lips as she whispers, "Yes."
"Yes?"
"Let's move in together," she murmurs. "This might be the weirdest way I could have imagined you asking me but yeah…you're right. It makes sense. It feels right. I just want us to be together and happy so-"
He doesn't let her finish whatever she was going to say, leaning forward and kissing the sentiment off her lips but she does not mind. Or, at least, it does not seem that way based on how she leans forward against him or bites at his lower lip gently. Jay lets his hands travel down her sides and against her hips before they come to rest on her lower back, his hand starting to play a dangerous game with the top of her leggings.
"Weirdest way I could have asked, huh?" He whispers a moment later when they both lean back, breathless and wild eyed.
"It's Halloween," she giggles out. "You're literally just supposed to dress up and eat candy on Halloween."
"People do stuff like this on holidays."
"On romantic holidays," she corrects him playfully, poking at his chest. "Like Valentine's Day or Christmas. And even then, it's kinda cheesy. But they definitely don't do the big romantic gestures on Halloween."
"Well," Jay hums. "We're not everybody."
Not even close. Their first kiss was the result of trying to trick their Sergeant and they waited six months before telling any of their close friends. Their jobs make them go to work every day without the guarantee of coming home and their lives are anything but calm.
But everybody is boring. Especially when all he wants is her. Her strength, her beauty, her heart. It's why he can't wait until November 1 to ask her this question. He wants everything to start with her right now.
"You know," Hailey whispers, catching him off guard. "Next year we might not have a kid but we could definitely hand out candy at our apartment."
Their apartment.
He likes the way it sounds. Not his place or her place. But theirs. A strange combination of the things they have acquired through the years. Her bed and his band posters and her plates and his couch. A little bit of them in every room, something that feels simply theirs and feels like home.
"We could," he agrees. "That could be a nice holiday tradition…until the traditions change."
"Until the traditions change…" she repeats the sentiment, eyes growing wide with an undeniable smile on her face. "But until then, we'll celebrate just us."
"We could start the celebrations now?" He offers, fighting to keep his cool composure when she is sitting on top of him, head thrown back slightly in laughter and that sweet smile on her face.
"We barely celebrated Halloween," Jay continues. "We volunteered. That hardly counts as celebrating."
"I think you might have a point," Hailey whispers as her fingers trace the underside of his jaw, slowing as they come towards his lips. "Plus, we have to celebrate the fact that we are moving in together. Lots of celebrating to do."
"Better get started then," Jay hums.
He kisses her again, soft and slow, and she still tastes like the chocolates she was stealing back at the carnival. It's sugary sweetness and a bit of caramel and that taste that is distinctively Hailey but there's something else there too.
It's a promise of forever and a next step to get there. And this next step might just be some new keys and moving their things across town but it's an important step. Because what looks like keys and cardboard boxes is really a promise of together and always and happiness.
And he likes how those promises taste.
(It's one of their first holidays spent not at Molly's. It's also their last holiday spent in either of their apartments. By Thanksgiving, they are moving into a new place, with boxes still left half empty until near Christmas.
It almost feels silly, telling their friends they decided to move in together on Halloween. But they've always done things in their own time and their own way and this is no different. They love each other and they both want forever and neither of them particularly wants to wait.
They figure they're just getting a head start on their new holiday traditions.)
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