September 2011

"Hailey!"

Even while she rolled her eyes, she couldn't be mad at her best friend. Emma had been begging her for months to go out and she finally caved. Work had been tiring lately and since she finally had a night off and the next day off as well, she figured what the hell, there's no harm in a little fun.

"I'll be right down!" she yelled back, turning back to the task at hand. A few more swipes of mascara would do it and she felt like a new woman. But mostly, she was glad to be out of her uniform for once.

Since graduating the academy, Hailey seemed to forget what regular clothes felt like. She found the heels in the back of her closet, tucked away with stuff from a life before a CPD uniform was her daily attire. Adding the jeans and the off the shoulder white tee, a part of Hailey doubted anyone would know she was a cop. But maybe that was the goal, that for once she could feel like a single woman in her 20s without a guy feeling intimidated by her career choice.

"Damn girl," she heard from the door of her room. She turned to find Emma standing there, the redhead in an all-black look that just worked for her. Somedays, she didn't understand how they worked, but they did. Emma was easily her best friend, which may have helped with how easily Hailey caved to her invitation.

"Same could be said about you," Hailey replied as she finished putting her earrings in.

"Nick is meeting us at the bar," Emma told her. "He had dinner with some buddies earlier. Some may join him, but he didn't know."

"This isn't another one of your match-making schemes is it?" Hailey asked. The smirk on Emma's face told her she was right, it was another one of her schemes. Since they met, Emma and her boyfriend, Nick, have always tried to set Hailey up, but it never worked. All of Emma's friends were like her, came from old-school Chicago money where Nick just seemed to know everybody, didn't matter what their job was or where they were from.

"Hailey, I say this with nothing but kindness," Emma said, walking forward to grab her arms, forcing the blonde to look at her. "But you need to get laid."

That got a laugh from her, because she was damn right. It had been a while and with the stress the job put her under, she needed something to give her a little satisfaction.

"I'm only going to say this once," Hailey told her. "But you're right."

The redhead smiled even wider before clapping her hands, clearly excited Hailey was going along with her plans. Before she knew what was going on, Emma was dragging her out of her bedroom in the apartment they shared, headed straight to the front door.

"Our ride is almost here," she told Hailey. "And you better not come home alone tonight."

"I make no promises," Hailey said. The sly grin she got made her slightly worried, because Emma was a wild card, that was for sure. There was never any telling what she had up her sleeve, and suddenly, Hailey began to wonder why she agreed in the first place while being a tiny bit excited about the night ahead.


"Yo, Jay!"

Jay just smiled at his friend, shaking his head because he knew Nick was two beers away from becoming the party boy everyone knew and only some people loved. But as one of his oldest friends, Jay knew what to expect.

They grew up a block away, went to the same schools growing up. Nick's older sister dated his brother Will all through high school, but even after they broke up and Will went to college, he and Nick stayed friends. It was one of the only friendships he maintained through his Army days, the rough patches he had coming back from Afghanistan, all of it. Between him and Mouse, he didn't really have many other friends from his pre-Army life.

"What's up?" he asked, knowing the question was a loaded one. He asked it anyways, mostly to humor himself. It was barely 10 o'clock, so there was a lot of night left to be had of you asked Nick.

"Em said she and one of her friends are going out tonight. I'm meeting them after dinner, and she wants to know if I can drag you along?"

"One of Em's friends?" Jay asked, all while rolling his eyes in his mind. He loved Emma like a sister, she was good for Nick in more ways than he knew. But he knew what kind of friends Emma had, all of them a different variation of a rich socialite, all of them thinking the same thing: he's attractive, maybe good in bed, but they bolt when they learn he's a cop. It was a never-ending pattern and one too many mistakes taught him that nothing good came from one of her friends.

"It's not like that," Nick replied, knowing where Jay's mind was. "Em met her in college, they were roommates and Hailey's been going through some stuff and needed a place to crash."

Hailey, he thought. That was a name he had never heard before. He had known Emma for close to three years now and while he knew that she had a roommate, he had never met her. But somehow, Jay wanted to meet her. Call it intuition, but something in the back of his mind was telling him to go with Nick and meet this Hailey.

"Where are we going?" Jay asked, and his only response from his friend was the shit eating grin that spread across his face.


Hailey had to admit, this was fun, and it had been a while since she could remember being this carefree about life. It reminded her so much of her days in college, when the only thing that worried her were the criminology and political science courses she was taking, the same ones where she met Emma. But as she looked over at her friend, sipping whatever fruity cocktail was in her hands, she had to thank her for getting her out of this rut.

"So when's Nick supposed to be here?" she asked, her voice louder than normal to break through the rest of the noise in the semi crowded bar. Emma just shrugged before setting her glass down on the table.

"He said he was on his way," Emma answered as she checked her phone. "He said his friend Jay is coming, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all," Hailey replied, because she really didn't mind. Emma's words from earlier rang in her head: it had been a while since she got laid and if anything was gonna come out of tonight, a little fun was quite alright with her. But the cop in her picked up on the casualness of Emma's statement about this Jay. Before, Emma had been bursting at the seams with her hidden plan to get Hailey a man, but the relaxed tone told her something was up, and she would find out.

"So how does Nick know Jay?" she asked. It was an innocent question, because her best friend had been nothing but obvious about wanting to set her up.

"They grew up together," Emma told her. "According to Nick, they were thick as thieves before Jay went away. He's probably the most normal of Nick's friends, if that says anything."

It said a lot, Hailey told herself. It made sense why Nick and Emma were together: both the life of the party, loved having something to do and people to see. Even if they grew up in two different worlds of Chicago, they made sense to everyone that knew them. When Emma first introduced her to Nick, Hailey was weary, because on paper, guys like Nick only go after a girl like Emma for two things: looks and money. But as she got to know them, she would admit she was wrong. In some weird way, they grounded each other.

If only she could be so lucky as to find someone like that.

"Nick!" Emma nearly yelled from across the bar, her hand shooting in the air like a first grader raising their hand for the teacher to call on. Before she had a chance to turn around, Nick was at their table, leaning down to kiss Emma sweetly. Despite the tough exterior she put on, she was happy for her best friend. There had been a lot of wrong guys before she found Nick and seeing her happy made Hailey happy.

"Hailey," Nick said, shaking her from her thoughts as he wrapped her in a hug, kissing her cheek like he always did.

"Good to see you," she replied as he stepped away. Her eyes then found the guy standing beside the blonde man and if she had a mental idea of who this Jay was, the guy standing before her was not at all what she pictured.

"This is Jay," Nick introduced as he turned towards his friend. "Jay, this is Emma's roommate, Hailey."

"Pleasure's mine," Jay told her, reaching his hand out to shake.

"Nice to meet you," she said, her mind amazed she came up with words as her heart was pounding. The green eyes staring back at her were mesmerizing, and she usually wasn't one to find a guy's eyes attractive, but Jay's were different. They were inviting, if she could say that without it being weird. But the smile that spread across his face made her feel something she hadn't in a long time, and it had nothing to do with the fact it was making her cross her legs under the bar.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked her as Nick moved closer to Emma, clearly leaving she and Jay alone.

"Whiskey, neat," she replied, one of the first tests she had for a guy. Most guys she dated somehow managed to peg her for a cocktail kind of girl. Not to say that she didn't enjoy one when the occasion called for it, but they always ran off when she went straight for the hard stuff.

"A girl after my own heart," Jay told her as he flagged down the bartender. Even if the line was cheesy, Hailey did feel her own heart stop for a moment as she watched Jay order whiskey himself, only on the rocks.

"I take it you don't date a lot of whiskey drinkers?" she asked, suddenly feeling bold with him. He turned to look at her, leaning against the bar where she sat.

"I like a girl that can handle her liquor," he said. "Mostly it tells me all I need to know about you."

"Oh really?" she asked, her hand moving to prop her chin up as she looked back at him.

"Yep," Jay replied and soon after, two whiskeys appeared in front of them, silence falling between them as they took a sip, eyes locked on the other.

"Whiskey tells me you're strong, nothing frilly about you," he explained, and Hailey had to admit he was pretty spot on. "You're simple, maybe a little old-school, but somewhere deep down you have a wild side."

"What does it say about you?" she asked him, not wanting to admit he was right. Jay just shrugged before taking another sip.

"Means I like my women like I like my whiskey," he said, sending a smirk her way that caused a rather uncharacteristic giggle to escape from her.

"So, Jay," she said, setting her glass down and turning on the barstool to face him. "How on earth are you so normal and yet friends with Nick Murphy?"

Jay laughed at her question, nodding slightly as if he agreed. He glanced over her shoulder, probably to find his friend and Emma before looking back at her.

"He's just one of those friends that never seems to leave," he said. "A real pain in my ass that would gladly help me hide a body."

"You should watch what you say around me," she told him. "I'm a cop, and I know where to find that pain in the ass."

"Really?" Jay asked, eyebrows raised in surprise. This was the moment she was dreading, but it had to come out sooner or later. The opening was there for her, and she knew she had a 50/50 shot at him brushing it over and moving on. Clearly, he wasn't moving on.

"Yep," she said, taking another sip of her whiskey. "And before you ask, I can't get you out of a parking ticket."

"I wasn't going to ask," he said, sincerity in his voice. "If anything, I would ask what district you work at."

It was Hailey's turn to raise an eyebrow. Never had she gotten that response. Her silence and confusion must have been telling as Jay continued.

"I'm at the 21st, but I can't say I've seen you around."

"26th district," she replied, tilting her head to the side. "I've gotta say, this is a first."

"What? You've never met a cop before?" he teased, and she had to give it to him. That got a laugh out of her.

"Normally guys I meet do one of two things when I tell them my job," she explained as she held up two fingers to prove her point. "One, they ask me to get them out of parking tickets or, two, they bolt."

"So is there now a third option?" Jay asked, a smirk on his face as he leaned in close to her.

"I suppose so, Officer," she said. "Guess you're the lucky third option."


Jay couldn't believe the woman in front of him. He had some ideas about whoever he was fixing to meet when he agreed to tag along with Nick, but Hailey was something else. Besides being attractive as hell and just his type, there was something deeper, he could feel it. Every little thing he had learned in the time he had spent talking to her surprised him, but in a good way. She was different, a good different.

The night had been going on as they remained close, talking and drinking and not caring about the other patrons in the bar. At some point, he wasn't sure when, Nick and Emma wandered off. He would expect a text from his friend at some point, but likely not until tomorrow as they were probably off doing something he probably didn't want to know.

"Last call!" he heard the bartender shout, the statement being met with groans from a lot of the other patrons. He turned to ask Hailey if she wanted another drink before he closed their tab, only to be met with her throwing what was left in her glass back.

"Want another for the road?" he asked anyways, earning a laugh from her.

"As a cop, you should know it's illegal to drink and drive," she shot back. She was sassy, he had to give it to her. Not many girls he met went toe to toe with him, but he was impressed with her, as he was with everything else she said.

"But there's nothing wrong with me calling an Uber, right?" he asked. He was probably pressing his luck, but he had to try. It was a 50/50 shot, he knew, because there were two ways this night would end, going home together, or going home alone, and he would selfishly hope it was the first one.

"As long as we're going to the same place," she said, her voice softer and sending his blood rushing through his body. Without another word, he flagged down the bartender, handing him his card before he had a chance to look at the bill. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but the sooner he paid, the sooner he could get out of here with Hailey.

"Your place or mine?" he asked as he waited for the slip. Hailey looked down at her phone, before back at him, a smirk on her face that told him she was pleased with whatever message she just read.

"Emma is at Nick's, so I have my place all to myself," she explained, her voice still soft as she stood up, pressing her body against his as her hand slipped around his waist and into his back pocket. "That is, if you want to come over?"

"Hell yes," he told her, earning a full-blown grin from her. He didn't get a chance to say anything else as his bill was set down in front of him and he had to unfortunately had to pull away from her to sign it. The contact with her body may have been gone, but her hand remained in his back pocket, and he couldn't ever remember if a girl had ever done that to him. It may have seemed old school, but when Hailey did it, it was hot as hell.

"Let's go," he said, turning back to her before he leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. He felt her melt into him, her free arm lazily looping around his neck as she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Before he knew it, the kiss turned into something of a make out in the middle of the bar, but it was over as soon as it began, Hailey pulling away to look down at her phone.

"Car's here," she said, looking up at him with nothing but lust and want in her eyes. "Let's go."

Jay kissed her once more before grabbing her hand to pull her behind him. She caught up quickly, the hand that had been in his pocket now curling around his bicep as she pulled herself closer to him, almost like she needed more contact that just holding hands. Not that he would mind in the slightest.


The headache she woke up with was fairly brutal, the first thought being that she was glad she didn't have to go into work. The second thought was wondering what the hell she did last night.

As she flipped onto her back, her head turned to the other side of the bed, a small smile falling onto her face. So that's what she did last night, or rather who.

The more she woke up, the more Hailey remembered the night before. Them coming back to her apartment, the trail of clothes she was sure created a path between the front door and her bedroom. She remembered every single moment he made her scream, but lost count after five.

At some point, they passed out, but she remembered waking up to him between her legs, his hands and mouth doing delicious things to her. It felt like her body was on fire, and as she laid in bed now, looking at Jay's still sleeping form, the soreness she felt everywhere was the best kind possible.

She made a mental note to give Emma some kind of thank you, because Jay was arguably the best she could have had after the dry spell she was now free from. Her phone chimed once more, and she hoped it wasn't work telling her she needed to be on shift. Turning over, she was the message was just from Emma, asking how her night was. She started typing back, somewhat oblivious to the sheets moving on the other side of her.

"Good morning," Jay said, his voice deep and husky from sleep. One of his arms wrapped around her, his hand sliding dangerously close to the most sensitive part of her body as he tugged her back to him, her bare back pressed against his bare chest.

"Is this morning going to be anything like last night?" she asked, letting herself melt back into his body. His lips found her neck as a moan escaped her.

"If you want it to be," he replied, letting her turn around to kiss him properly.

"I don't have to go to work," Hailey murmured against his lips. She pushed him onto his back before straddling him, the sheet falling off her as hands found her waist, his thumb tracing part of her ribcage.

"What's this mean?" he asked as she realized what he was referring to. The black ink stood out against her tanned skin. Hailey tilted her head, more from the feel of his fingers on her, his thumb moving to the underside of her breast as his index finger traced the letters on her skin.

"It's Greek," she said, gently sitting down on his abdomen. "Means survivor."

"And what did you survive?" Jay said softly. Hailey barely got the words out as his thumb moved up, brushing across her nipple and eliciting a sigh from her.

"That's a story for another time," she mumbled out, her eyes meeting his before traveling lower, her eyes finding black ink of his own among the freckles dotting his chest. Her hand moved to repeat his earlier actions as her finger followed the sharp lines, a contrast to the curves in her own tattoo. "What's this?"

Jay's sigh told her he had his own story, but he looked up at her, his hand moving to grasp her free one, the other falling to her thigh.

"It's my mom's birthday," he told her, the tone of his voice now somber. "She passed away three years ago. I got it on the anniversary of her death."

"I'm so sorry," Hailey told him, reaching up, her hand running through the mess of curls on his head.

"It's hard some days," he said honestly. "Other days, I know she's better, no longer in pain."

"Was she sick?" she asked, getting a nod from Jay.

"Can I make a request?" Jay asked, this time being Hailey's turn to nod.

"Anything," she said.

"Can we talk about something else?" he asked, before sitting up, his lips finding her neck once more before moving lower.

"I would argue this isn't talking," Hailey said, her head tilting back once more. She looked down as Jay's mouth stopped and he looked up at her.

"Then let's do that," he told her as his lips found hers.


The cold weather was coming early this year to Chicago, and Jay was ready to be anywhere but be in a squad car with a faulty heater. He was convinced he was going to get frost bite in some way, even while he logically knew wouldn't happen.

Working overnights were never fun, especially in the cold wind of this city. But with what he was getting paid, he wouldn't complain about it. The more experience the better, too, considering he had his sights on moving up in the CPD.

The silence in the patrol car was broken by the incoming call on the radio, a car accident a few blocks away. His partner for the night made a joke about their time in the heat being gone, but Jay just rolled his eyes. The guy was nice, but he was older and clearly content with riding out his career right here in a patrol car.

He could tell they got closer as the blue and red lights illuminated the dark streets of Chicago.

"Looks like someone else beat us too it," Jay mumbled, trying to joke back with the other officer. All he got was a chuckle in response before they were parked alongside another patrol car.

Jay surveyed the scene, taking in the two cars crashed into each other, the other officers taking in the scene, one by an ambulance and the other talking to the other driver. It didn't seem to be much of a scene, but the scene wasn't what caught his attention. It was the familiar blonde hair pulled back into a low bun, messy strands falling out of it and peeking from the beanie she wore.

"I'll go this way?" he asked, even while he was heading in the direction of the ambulance. He didn't wait for a response before he had turned and walked away.

"Excuse me," he said as he approached the other officer and one of the victims. He watched as she whipped her head around, obviously recognizing his voice.

"Jay," Hailey whispered before clearing her throat. "Officer Halstead."

"Upton," he replied before motioning with his head towards the scene. "What do we got?"

"The usual," she said. "Texting and driving accident. Miss Stewart here got hit when that guy veered into her lane."

"Are you okay, miss?" he asked the woman sitting on the gurney. She just nodded, shivering under the thin excuse of a blanket they wrapped around her.

"Walk with me?" Jay asked Hailey, smiling slightly when she fell into step beside him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly, slowing her gait as they got further from the ambulance. Jay could see they were within earshot of the other officers, and he didn't want them hearing whatever was about to come from their mouths.

"We got called to the scene, same as you," he told her.

"I know," she answered softly, tucking one of the lose strands back under hear beanie. He wanted to reach out and tuck it back himself, see if her hair was as soft as it was that night two months ago when he tangled his hands in her hair when she was sprawled out on top of him.

"This is weird isn't it?" he finally asked. She just nodded at him, a hint of a smile on her face.

"A little," Hailey replied. "Considering the last time I saw you was in my shower."

Jay just laughed, because he remembered that morning, and that night. He would never admit it to her, but that night was easily the best night of his life. Not just because the sex was amazing, but mostly because of her, Hailey Upton.

"Well then, can I make it not weird?" he asked, the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

"And how are you going to do that?"

"By asking you out."

The shocked expression on her face was rather comical and he would have laughed if they were not at the scene of a car accident. But he had to admit it was cute seeing her so dumbfounded, like it wasn't what she expected. Not that he had either, but there was a pull to her, something he had never felt with any other woman before in his life. He couldn't say he wasn't a one-night stand kind of guy, because he would be lying, but there had never been someone he wanted to know more about, about who they were as a person, than Hailey.

And because of that, he was wondering if this was the wrong move.

"Look you can say no," he began, suddenly trying to back pedal. "I get if it was a one-night thing, or if this could complicate things, or…"

"Yes," she answered, cutting him off with one word. Jay just stared at her, trying to process as the word didn't seem to fully make it inside his mind, like it was floating in the air between them.

"Yes?" Jay asked, needing to hear it once more from her.

"Yes, I'll go out with you, Jay," Hailey told him, the hint of a smile he saw earlier turning into a full blown one now.

"Perfect," he replied after finding his words. "Let me know your schedule."

"Copy that, Halstead," Hailey said. "And by the way? I hope that wasn't a one-night thing."

All Jay could do was grin back at her, glad that it didn't mean nothing to her, but also trying to think of how he could make this the best date she had ever had.


The irony of the situation was not lost on her as she stood in her bathroom getting ready. She felt the same she did the night she met Jay, this time maybe a tad more nervous, but not because she was worried he would be intimidated. This time was because she wanted Jay to like her, because ever since he asked her out, she let herself think about this going somewhere that always felt like uncharted territory for her.

Relationships just weren't her thing. The never were and she had grown to accept the fact that they likely wouldn't be. She also wasn't a one-night stand kind of girl, but Jay was the first. But it wasn't as scary as before, the idea of a relationship, even as she chastised herself for thinking this was a relationship or could be. For all she knew he could just be trying to get back into her bed.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone chimed, having been so lost in her thoughts that she forgot the outside world existed. Glancing at the screen, she saw the time and the text from Jay, realizing he was on his way to pick her up. She had a solid 15 minutes before he got here, and she didn't feel anywhere near being ready. This must be what normal women who go on date feel, she thought.

Fifteen minutes felt like seconds because the next thing she knew, there was a knock on her door. She slipped on the black jacket laying on her bed before taking one more look in the mirror. It was now or never, she thought. There was no turning back now.

Hailey could only smile as she opened the door to find Jay standing on the other side, that same boyish smile she had seen a lot that night they spent together. He looked good, maybe better than he did the night they met, somehow making a button down and jeans look much nicer than she would think, despite the heavy coat he had on.

"Hi," she said softly, smiling up at him.

"Hey," he replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek before pulling back. "These are for you."

It was then she noticed one of his hands was behind his back as he pulled out a bouquet of red roses and Hailey decided suddenly that red roses were her favorite flower.

"They're beautiful," she told him, taking them gently and smelling them lightly. "Let me put them in some water and we can head out."

"Yes ma'am," Jay said as he followed her inside. "This is a nice place."

"Thanks," she said with a light laugh. "It's Emma's. I just crash here."

"It's better than my place, that's for sure," he mumbled, eliciting another laugh from her.

"You ready?" she asked, getting no response from Jay except another smile and his hand being held out for her. Hailey took it with zero hesitation, the action feeling oddly normal despite this being a first date.

The car ride to their destination was entertaining, Jay choosing to play a game of 20 Questions to pass the time.

"Favorite animal?" he asked her, and she had to actually think about this one. The earlier questions were simple: favorite food, coffee order, funniest call on patrol. But this one felt more personal in a weird but good way.

"A rabbit," she told him, chuckling slightly from embarrassment. "It's silly."

"No it's not," he said, shaking his head. "Care to share why?"

Hailey sighed as she looked out the window, trying to push the memory from her mind but failing.

"When I was 11, we moved to Lake Forest. My mom knew I was having a tough transition from leaving my old school and friends, so she got me a rabbit. Well, I always said it was a bunny, because it was tiny and fluffy. But it helped more than I think we expected."

Jay was silent, and Hailey was worried she said too much too soon. But he reached over, taking her hand in his and bringing it back over to rest on his thigh, his fingers brushing over her knuckles.

"Mine is a dog," he said, laughing slightly. "It's cheesy, but they are my favorite. There's something about the loyalty dogs have that's different than people, I learned that a lot when I was overseas."

"You were in the military?" Hailey asked, even while she was sure of the answer. It made sense, he carried himself too much like a soldier to not have been.

"Army," he answered, his voice almost stoic. "Rangers to be exact. Did two tours in Afghanistan."

Hailey didn't quite know what to say except she squeezed his hand, prompting him to look over at her while they were stopped. She saw the look in his eyes, knowing he wouldn't say more about his time in the Army. The things he must have seen and maybe done; it was understandable. She'd seen her share of soldiers come home after being deployed, both on and off patrol.

"Thank you," she whispered, her words having a double meaning as she hoped he realized. Thank you for sharing and thank you for his service. All he did was smile back, softer this time, matching the mood that fell within his Jeep.

"We're here, by the way," he told her, causing her to look out the window, not recognizing her surroundings. The buildings around her were different from the typical skyscrapers in Chicago, and the dimming sky made it harder to determine their location. She had become so fixated on trying figure out where they were and cursing her skills as a cop for not helping her pinpoint the location, that she didn't notice Jay get out of the car and open her door.

"Come on," he said softly, holding his hand out to her. She took it, letting him help her out while trying not to fall flat on her face. This is why she rarely wore heels. While she liked the look, the added height didn't always agree with her.

As Jay led them to their destination, she moved closer to him, the chilly wind picking up as the sun set. The closer they got was when she realized it was one of the museums maybe, until he bypassed that for a building that looked similar.

"Now I'm sure you've been here before," he said, even while she didn't know where "here" was. "But I've always loved the aquarium and I wanted to do something that wasn't just dinner and drinks."

Hailey realized then where they were: Shedd Aquarium. Growing up here, she heard about the place but had never been. Her parents always said it was too far into the city to go, and no field trips ever went there. At some point, she just pushed it away, almost forgot it existed. Every now and then it would come up, but it was forgotten just as quickly.

"Actually," she began, as they reached the line to get in. "I've never been here."

For some reason, she expected Jay to look at her like she was crazy, but it never happened. Instead, he just smiled at her, his eyes sparkling like a child.

"Well I'll have to show you the best parts, right?" he said, and it was her turn to smile then.

They made it through the line and Jay led her all over the place, pointing out his favorite animals and exhibits, teaching her more than she maybe ever wanted to know about some animals. At some point, she stopped paying attention to what he was saying, just taking the time to let this all sink in, the entire date and how amazing of a guy Jay Halstead was.

"Hailey?" she heard, causing her to snap out of her thoughts to turn towards him.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I have one more surprise for you," Jay said, tugging her along by the hand he hadn't let go of since they got out of his car. He wove his way through the crowds expertly as she followed along before they were outside some door she hadn't seen before.

"What are we doing?" she asked, confused and intrigued by what was going on. She didn't have to wait long before she was greeted by someone who seemed to work here.

"Mr. Halstead?" the man asked. Jay just nodded before offering his hand to shake. "I'm Jeff."

"Jay," he replied before pulling her closer. "And this is Hailey."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Halstead," he said, a blush forming on her face as she heard the name.

"Oh, I'm not…" she began, not sure how to explain this. But Jeff just smiled at her apologetically.

"My apologies," he said. "Shall we begin?"

Jay just nodded, following Jeff as he leaned down to whisper to her.

"Sorry," he told her. "I had to give your name and there wasn't an option for a last name."

"No worries," she replied before listening to Jeff's monologue. She soon gathered they were going on what must be a private, behind the scenes tour of the aquarium, all while still being in awe of how well Jay planned this. Most guys she dated didn't put much effort into a date, but she was thoroughly impressed.

This had easily become the best date she had been on, and it wasn't even over. Even while she stood beside Jay, listening to Jeff talk about all the animals at the aquarium, all she could focus on was Jay and how easy it was to be around him and just be her in all the ways that mattered. Because at the end of the day, that's what was important, the fact that she could, for once, enjoy dating without the worry that her job would get in the way. And she never would have guessed that it would have taken Jay Halstead, a fellow cop, to make her feel the way she did.


Hope you all enjoyed! Wanted to use the break between the seasons to establish their relationship more before we dive back into storylines. Thank you again for all the support on this story! It is so fun to write and reimagine, so the fact that you guys love it will help me continue writing this and my other stories!