Oof, that finale though! I don't know about you guys, but I have not recovered. This is a bit of a light chapter, but honestly, I feel like we all need it! There will be many fics coming your way over the hiatus, so be on the lookout!

But for now, here we go with Chapter 15!

The adjustment into a relationship is different the second time around. The first time, it was fast, easy, simple. When they woke up the next morning, any awkwardness that typically would be present the first time waking up with someone new was nonexistent. They quickly slipped into a routine, spending almost all of their time at one of their apartments. By that point in their partnership, they both knew each other so well that not much surprised them. They knew the other's mannerisms and quirks, so they knew what to expect.

Hailey already knew that Jay was a light sleeper and he woke up ridiculously early, even on Saturdays. Jay already knew that Hailey was literally always cold and that she kept a secret stash of chocolate in her kitchen cabinets.

They both already knew the other sleep schedule, the foods they loved and the ones they despised, and so much more. They knew each other's weird little habits, like the way Jay was obsessive about keeping his apartment clean and how Hailey was always laughing a little too loud.

So, when they initially started dating, there was not much left to learn. Sure, Hailey was a little shocked to discover how much Jay enjoyed cuddling before they went to bed and Jay did not expect Hailey to be such a fan of morning make-out sessions, but everything they learned during those first few weeks of dating just built upon everything they already knew about their partner.

The second time around though, it's different, because Hailey does not have four years of memories and Jay has already been through this stage of their relationship before. Because of that, they take things slower than they did the first time around. He drops her off at her place after their dinner at Bartoli's and he kisses her goodnight at her door before he heads home, a very different ending to the night than most of their dates.

But even though it's different, it's still good. In the days after their dinner at Bartoli's, they fall into a similar routine as the one they had for the past few weeks. On days that she has work, Jay picks her up with her signature coffee order and on days she has off, they have dinner together.

Only now, on their drive into the district, Jay rests his hand on her knee and now when they have dinner together, she does not kick him out after they eat. He still does not stay the night, but they typically will spend a few hours on the couch, watching some show that they have most certainly both seen, but due to her amnesia, Hailey has forgotten the plot, so they watch it again.

Tonight is one of those nights. It's Sunday, just a week after she kissed him in the park and about seven weeks since she lost her memories. They had a late dinner and now are relaxing on the couch, Hailey leaning into Jay's side, his arm thrown around her shoulder, a blanket laying over the two of them.

"So, hypothetically, this is the darkest timeline?" Hailey jokes as they watch their second episode of the show Community for the night. Her head is leaning against his chest and she peers up at him as she giggles at her own joke.

"Considering there's no such thing as alternative worlds, probably not," He humors her with a chuckle, glancing down to catch her smiling up at him.

"You're no fun," She pouts, starting to pull away from him in fake protest, but he uses his arm to anchor her to his side.

"We should have watched The Office," He says under his breath when she lays her head on his chest again.

"You are seriously such a grump, I don't know why I put up with you."

"A grump, yeah?" He challenges her, taking the hand that's casually draped across her to poke into her side, making her squirm. The second he sees a tactical advantage, he pins her down underneath him on the couch, tickling her with both hands until she is breathless from laughter.

"I hate you" She manages to get out between fits of giggles and gasps of air, but her protests only make him continue his actions, targeting that one spot on her left side that he knows always makes her laugh like a child.

She is quick though, showing off her years of police training as she grabs his wrist and holds it tightly as he tries to get out of her grasp. She manages to sit up with a groan, shaking her head in amusement.

"If a month ago you told me that Jay Halstead was a tickler, I would not have believed it."

"You surprised?" He asks, sitting up and catching his breath.

Her cheeks are red and her hair is wild, but she looks beautiful, with a large smile that reaches up to her eyes. "Honestly, a bit, yeah. You play Mr. Tough Detective all day and then here you are, acting like an actual idiot."

"What can I say," He reaches his arm across the back of the couch, gently pulling her back to his side where she belongs. "I'm a fool for you."

"Oh great, so you're cheesy too."

He snorts at her comment and pinches her side lightly, earning him a swat to his hand.

"I just wasn't expecting any of this."

"You said that when we first got together," He hums softly, gazing down at her. "You used to tease me about it all the time."

"What types of things did I tease you about?"

"I mean, the tickling, obviously. Dancing in the kitchen, leaving you little notes around your apartment, that type of stuff. You secretly loved it all though."

She looks amused by his words and he thinks maybe she is imagining them dancing in the kitchen after a long day of work or she is thinking about what Jay "I don't express my feelings" Halstead could have written her in a note.

"You really had it bad, didn't you?" She says after a moment, a teasing yet nervous tone in her voice.

He did have it bad. From the minute he kissed her in that bar, he knew he was ruined for her. There was no going back, not that he wanted to ever go back to a life where he could not freely kiss Hailey Upton. From the very beginning, it amazed him just how strong his feelings were for her. Never had he ever felt something so deep and so all-consuming as what he felt for Hailey.

"Real bad."

She hums in contentment at his answer, snuggling back into his chest, and he thinks for a moment that that is the end of the conversation. They watch as yet another alternative timeline is played out by the characters on the tv show they are supposed to be watching, but Jay is more focused on running his hand gently through Hailey's hair than keeping up with the plot of the show.

"Obviously I don't remember," Hailey says quietly a few minutes later. "But I have a pretty good feeling I had it bad too. At the very least, I'm gonna have it bad this time."

She turns her attention back to the show, not even realizing the gravity of her words. He presses a long, slow kiss to the top of her head, letting his lips linger there, knowing that he is completely gone for this girl and he does not want to have it any other way.

The next morning at work is slow, but no one is complaining. Since the double homicide case that resulted in Hailey losing her memories, it has felt like it has been rough case after rough case. They have all been exhausted, both physically and emotionally, so a slow morning sounds like just what they need.

They all exchange pleasantries, telling the others about what they did over the weekend. Jay and Hailey give a watered-down version of their events, mainly because their friends did not even know about their initial relationship and they think if they told them that they were together now their heads would combust.

"So, Hailey, any updates from the doctor?" Kim asks from her spot at her desk as she flips through a stack of paperwork.

Hailey spins in her chair so she can see Kim. "Are you asking because you're concerned or because you want me to come back to work full duty so you don't have to deal with Jay?"

"Why can't it be both?"

That earns a laugh from everyone, except Jay, who pretends to be annoyed with Kim's comment. Hailey glances at him quickly, a sweet smile on her face, before looking back over at Kim. "They just decreased my PT again. I'm down to once a week. Doctor said a few more sessions and then she thinks I'll be okay. After that, it's just up to Doc Charles and Voight to clear me."

Kim hums in response as Adam and Kevin nod their heads. It's a tricky thing, the fact that she is almost completely physically healed, but she still does not have her memories. There is no clause in the CPD about police officers going back to work after an injury like this, so no one quite knows how Voight is going to play it once she is physically cleared to come back. She is still a hell of a cop, but she is missing the memories of the experiences that make her able to do her job.

"On the bright side," Hailey continues in an attempt to cheer up the room. "I finish my pain meds this week and the doctor said I will officially be allowed to drink again."

It's no surprise when Adam lets out a loud cheer and Kevin cracks a large smile. Kim just shakes her head at the boys' antics as Hailey laughs.

"Oh, we are going out to celebrate," Adam demands excitedly, leaning back in his chair so his back bumps against Hailey's. "When are you actually allowed to drink?"

"Last dose will be Thursday," She hums with a chuckle.

"Okay, so Friday we are going out and we are going hard."

They all laugh at his enthusiasm and Hailey quickly agrees. She has mentioned a time or two during the past few weeks that she genuinely just wants a good night out to forget about everything that is going on and now that she is physically doing better and has finally been cleared to drink, the timing seems perfect.

When the laughter subsides, they all return to their work, knowing Voight will have their heads if they don't get something done during this slow morning. As he types away at his computer, Jay can feel Hailey's focus trained on him.

He looks up at her, and mouths "Yes?" to her, to which she quietly whispers, "You good?"

He nods before turning his attention back to his work. He only gets so far though before he feels her kicking him under their conjoined desks, a knowing glance meeting him when he looks up to see what she wants.

He sighs, scanning the room to see their friends working before making an announcement just loud enough that they can hear him, "I'm gonna grab coffee. Want some?"

"Yeah, I'll come with you."

If any of their elite cop friends catch on to what is going on, they don't say anything.

They make their way over to the break room counter, keeping the door open so their friends don't start asking questions and as Jay turns on the faucet to fill up the coffee pot with water, he looks at Hailey with a smirk. "So, were you just playing footsies because you wanted to flirt, or did you have something you wanted to talk about?"

"I wasn't flirting," She says in a low voice that is most certainly flirtatious in tone. "I wanted to make sure you're okay. You seem quiet."

"I'm good," He answers truthfully, pouring the water into the back of the coffee maker. She reaches for the coffee grinds and hands them to him and he shoots her an appreciative smile.

"You just didn't seem excited about going out on Friday," She continues, voice still soft.

Jay lets out a low breath as the coffee pot begins to brew. "Super honest answer? I'm tired. But Friday sounds fun. You deserve a night out."

"You know, nothing is going to change," She tells him. He notices that her left hand is reaching out to his ever so slightly, her pointer finger and middle finger brushing against his hand. "I still want you around as much now that I'm getting better."

Back when she initially lost her memories, he was scared that when she left the hospital and started to heal physically, she would no longer want him around. But that fear is long gone. If the past week has shown him anything, it is that she very much wants him around.

"I know," He gives her a sweet smile and lets his fingers link up with hers. "And this is still where I want to be."

"Good," She swings their fingers, mindful to hide their hands behind her body so that if anyone were to walk past the breakroom, they could not see the detectives holding hands. Jay winks at her as he lets go of her hand, reaching up to grab two mugs and pouring the freshly brewed coffee for them.

"Back to work?" Hailey asks with a disappointed sigh.

"Yeah," He takes a step towards the door before pausing, glancing over at her with a devilish smirk.

"Don't worry, though.," He says in a low, husky tone."You can keep flirting with me from across the desks. I won't mind."

"Keep dreaming Halstead."

"And then Jay just supermaned right off the roof trying to get the suspect. I don't know how, but he managed to land on his feet and get the guy."

They all let out a loud laugh at Kevin's story, but their laughter is lost in the noise of Molly's. The Intelligence gang is hidden in the back of the bar, sitting at a corner table, slowly sipping their beers after a few hours of going hard per Adam's request. Now, they are slowing their game, just chatting and sharing old stories.

"I used to be a Ranger. I literally was trained to jump off of things and land on my feet." Jay says with a chuckle.

"Hailey, you were so pissed," Adam adds from across the table. "After we got the suspect into the back of a car, you were ready to kill Jay.

Hailey's eyes are on him, an amused smile on her face. It's crowded in Molly's tonight and the table is small, leading Hailey to be pressed up against Jay's side, not that he minds.

"Yeah, I've heard this one has quite the reputation for being a little reckless."

"I'm sorry," Jay cuts in with an annoyed laugh. "Why do we only tell embarrassing stories about me? You three have your fair share of stories."

"Upton's a blank slate," Kevin says simply."We gotta let her know what she's in for before you work that Halstead charm on her again."

Jay rolls his eyes, noticing the tint of red growing in Hailey's cheek. If only they knew they were well past that point. He already worked that charm and she was already far gone for him.

"Alright, why don't we give the poor guy a break," Kim says before starting to tell one of Hailey's favorite stories, the time Adam got roped into pretending to be Trudy's fiance.

After a few more drinks, Kim tells them she is going to call it a night, stating she needs to go give the babysitter a reprieve. Not shockingly, Adam follows suit, saying he will walk her out. The remaining members of Intelligence exchange knowing glances, but none of them say anything. At one point, Hailey excuses herself to go talk to Stella and Kevin gets caught up in a conversation with Joe Cruz, leaving Jay alone at their table.

As he sips his water, Jay catches his brother's eye across the bar. Will had arrived about an hour after the Intelligence unit, spending most of the night drinking with a few doctors and nurses from Med, popping over earlier in the night to say hi to his favorite police officers. But now, Jay watches Will slip away from his conversation and walk over to the empty table where his younger brother is sitting, a beer in the doctor's hand.

"Drinking alone?" Will jokes.

"Well, you know that someone got cleared to start drinking again, so here we are," Jay nods to the bar where Hailey and Stella are laughing as his brother takes a seat across the table.

"How's she actually doing?" Will asks. He asked Hailey that same question a few hours earlier when everyone else was still there and got the standard "I'm good" as his answer.

"Honestly, she's doing well. Memories aren't back, but physically, she's pretty much all healed up."

Will nods, chuckling to himself. "One of the physical therapists keeps commenting on how well Hailey is doing with her recovery. Said she's got a lot of energy."

"Oh, don't I know it," Jay says softly, taking a long sip of his drink.

"How are you?" Will changes the conversation. "Really?"

Jay glances over to the bar where Hailey is leaning against the counter, her head thrown back in laughter as she talks to Stella, a wide grin on her face as her long blonde hair flows over her shoulders wildly. He can't help but smile when he sees her, so calm and so happy.

"She kissed me," Jay tells him. It is not an exact answer to his question, but it tells him all he needs to know.

Will raises an intrigued eyebrow at his little brother. "Really?"

Jay nods. "She said she wants to try again, see where this goes."

Will lets out a low whistle. "Damn...you really got that girl to fall for you twice."

Jay laughs at his brother's comment. "Trust me, I'm aware of how incredibly lucky I am."

"Good...you better not mess it up because I don't know if you can manage to win her over a third time."

"I have no plan of messing this up."

It's true. The fact that he got her once was a miracle, but twice? That goes far beyond luck and there is no way he is messing that up.

"So, how does that work?" Will asks. "You just pick up where you left off or-?"

"No, we're taking it pretty slow."

It's almost comical how different the pacing is this time around. It has almost been two weeks and he remembers by this point the first time around, they were spending every spare moment together. They went to sleep together and woke up together and often kept quite busy in between. Now, though, Jay still has not even spent the night.

Not that he is complaining. He understands that she needs to take this slow. Hell, he needs to take this slow. And in all honesty, the pacing of the relationship does not matter to him one bit, as long as it's all with Hailey.

"What are you going to do about your apartment?" Will asks, making Jay sigh.

"I talked to my landlord. I'm gonna go month-to-month after my lease ends. And then I'll just see."

His lease would end in less than a month and the original plan was for him to move in with Hailey for the next few months until her lease ended as well. He already spent all of his time there, so practically, it just made sense. But, with everything that has been happening, Jay knows that is not currently an option. However, he did not want to sign another year-long lease and have to put off his plans of a future with Hailey. If her memories came back in the next few weeks, he did not want to have a brand new lease standing in between them and their new life together. So, he opted to go to a month-to-month contract that, while more expensive than his current rent, allowed him the flexibility to move whenever he and Hailey were ready to take the next step.

"It's been, what, almost two months now?" Will hums. "Memories could come back any day now."

"I know...I'm trying not to think like that though," Jay glances back at Hailey again, taking in the sweet smile on her face, the excited glimmer in her eyes. "We're just taking it all day by day. That's all we can do."

Will turns to see where his brother is gazing, chuckling when he of course finds that he is staring at Hailey. The blonde catches Will's gaze, giving the boys a small wave. She leans back in to say something to Stella before making her way over to the two brothers.

"What trouble are you two getting into?" Hailey teases, coming to stand next to Jay, her arm pressed up against his lightly.

"I don't know what you could be talking about," Will laughs. "Hailey, you might not remember this, but I'm actually your favorite Halstead."

Jay sneers playfully at his brother. "Don't believe him. He's a compulsive liar."

Hailey just laughs at the brother's antics, shaking her head and brushing some hair out of her face.

"Alright," Will announces, standing up and pushing in his stool. "I'm gonna get going. Hailey, keep my brother in line, alright?"

Hailey smiles. "I'll try my best." She waits for Will to return to his group of friends from Med before she looks back over at Jay. "Wanna head out?"

He nods, finishing the last of his drink before they make their way over to Kevin, who is now sitting at the bar and talking to a new nurse from Med. Their friend barely even seems to care that they are leaving, too involved in his conversation with the pretty nurse, which makes Jay and Hailey laugh.

"You have a good night?" Jay asks as they make their way to his truck. While the others treated themselves to several drinks throughout the night, Jay only had two beers when they first got there several hours ago followed by several waters. He wanted to play it safe tonight to make sure he was sober enough to get them home safely and that Hailey didn't have to worry about all of that, instead, she could just have a good night.

"Yeah...It was nice just hanging out with everyone and doing something normal again," She says, a content tone in her voice as she hoists herself up into the passenger's side of the truck.

He jumps in the driver's side and watches as she buckles herself up and lays sleepily against the seat. She did not have that many drinks, wanting to pace herself after several weeks of not having any alcohol, but he can tell the drinks she did have are making her feel warm and sleepy.

"Good, I'm glad."

He pulls out of the Molly's parking lot, turning left to take her back to her place for the night when he catches a devilish grin on her face.

"I was thinking," Hailey says softly, adjusting herself in the seat so her body is turned towards him.

"Yeah?" He glances over to her quickly while they are at a stoplight.

"You should stay tonight."

He is lucky that the light is still red because her words catch him off guard and he almost forgets that he is driving. He takes a moment to gather himself and when the light turns green, he calmly asks, "You sure?"

"I mean, I'm not saying anything is gonna happen," Hailey giggles. "There is a decent chance I'm gonna pass out the second we get back to my place. But I still want you to stay...if you want to."

"Of course I want to." He tells her honestly.

"Okay," She whispers, smiling over at him. "I figured maybe we'd spend the weekend together?"

"You've been doing a lot of thinking, haven't you?" He teases and even in the lowlight of the truck, he can see the way she blushes when he flirts with her.

She shrugs nonchalantly, trying to play off his words. "I mean, you told me that we used to spend the weekends in bed being lazy. That doesn't sound like the worst weekend plans after the couple of weeks we have had."

He chuckles, thinking back to the countless weekends he and Hailey have spent in bed, just sleeping or watching Netflix or talking for hours. They always say they are going to try to do something with their weekend, but after experiencing so much chaos during the work week, most of the time when Saturday rolls around, all they want to do is be lazy.

Not that either of them mind. Being wrapped up in bed with the person you love is a pretty decent way to spend the weekend.

"I'd say we definitely earned a lazy weekend," He agrees with her, smiling.

"So, you're staying?" She asks hopefully and he just reaches to grab her hand, giving it a squeeze before he lets their intertwined fingers rest on the center console.

"I'm staying."

She smiles sweetly over at him, running her thumb over the back of his hand while he drives them back to her place in a comfortable silence.

She is right in that she passes out the second they get back to her place, the tiredness of the week and the couple of drinks she had finally catching up with her. Jay does not mind though, because he is just happy to be with her tonight. Plus, alcohol always turns her into quite the snuggler.

Besides, they have all weekend to be lazy or not be lazy in bed.

Reviews?

See you next week for Chapter 16 ;)