Jay woke before his alarm went off and rubbed a hand over his face before reaching to his right for Hailey.

Only all he was met with were cool sheets.

Turning his head, he checked to make sure she actually wasn't in bed before sitting up slowly. They didn't need to leave the house for another two hours; there was no reason she should have gotten out of bed so early. He glanced to the bathroom and noticed the lights were on under the door. Furrowing his eyebrows, he swung his legs out of bed and walked over to turn the doorknob.

"Hailey," he said quietly before the door could completely open, "You good?"

"Yeah, come in," she answered.

He stepped through the door to see her brushing through wet hair in front of the mirror with a towel around her. "You're up early," he said.

She smiled at him through the mirror and shrugged. "Big day, I wanted to get ready," she replied.

He smiled back then walked over to kiss her cheek and said softly, "Morning."

"Good morning," she laughed softly and picked up her blow dryer.

Jay stepped around her to brush his teeth while she dried her hair. The entire time, he couldn't help but stare as she flipped her hair around. Somehow, her towel didn't move an inch, and he was the slightest bit impressed. She worked effortlessly and efficiently making sure every piece was completely dry.

By the time she finished, he'd been done brushing his teeth for a few minutes and was leaning against the counter still watching her. She laughed again when she noticed and asked, "That your way of telling me to leave so you can use the bathroom?"

"Hmm? No, no," he said and straightened up, "Just watching."

Hailey hummed and put the blow dryer under the sink only to grab her straightener out.

"What're you doing?" Jay asked.

Hailey raised an eyebrow and said, "Straightening my hair."

"But…it's dry," he countered.

Again, she laughed, and Jay loved that, despite the early hour, he'd heard it so many times. "Hair up, remember?" she said, "I'm putting it in a bun."

"Yeah, but…can't you just put it in a ponytail?" Jay asked, "You don't need that."

"I could, but it's a ceremony, remember?" Hailey said as she plugged the straightener in, "I want to look nice."

"You always look nice," Jay said softly.

Hailey smiled at him and opened her drawer to grab her lotion. "Thank you," she said and squirted the lotion on her fingers. Rubbing it into her face, she added, "But I want this, okay?"

"Well, yeah, of course," Jay said, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter.

Hailey glanced at him and asked, "Seriously, what're you doing? You want some?" Smirking, she put her hand out and smeared some of the lotion on his cheek.

He laughed and rubbed at his face. "I'm just watching you," he repeated, "That okay?"

Hailey hummed as she rubbed the excess lotion into her hands. "Only if you get me a coffee," she said.

"Can definitely do that," Jay said and left the room.

As he started their coffee machine and grabbed out two mugs, he couldn't help but hope she didn't do much while he was gone. They'd taken countless showers together, brushed their teeth at the same time, have been living together for the last year, were married, but he couldn't remember ever stopping and actually watching her get ready in the morning.

Seeing her get dressed or put her hair in a ponytail was one thing, watching her and taking in everything she did was something else - especially after weeks of her barely brushing her hair and forgetting to shower because she was so overcome with guilt the year before.

This was good. She had drive again. She was laughing and teasing him. She stayed up late with him talking about their future and what they'd done at work. She kissed him more.

Together, they were happy, so he needed to be there for every moment.

By the time he made it back to the bathroom with two cups of coffee, Hailey had slipped on a pair of underwear and a tank top and was picking up her straightener.

He groaned and set the coffee on the counter. "You got ready," he said.

"I just put clothes on," she laughed. She took a sip of coffee then said, "Mm, thank you."

Jay sighed, but still sat on the closed toilet and said, "You're welcome."

Hailey glanced at him and asked, "You're really doing this?"

He nodded and took a long sip of coffee.

She laughed softly in response then shook her head before beginning to run the straightener through her hair. At first, her eyes kept darting to him in the mirror, but soon enough she seemed to zone out and just watch herself. Her fingers slipped through her hair, mindful of the heat, as she slowly worked.

Similarly, Jay became entranced by every little movement she made. The way her breathing slowed down. How her wrist sometimes flicked out at the end. When she frowned at a piece that curled slightly.

She was relaxed, but focused as she worked. It was kind of like watching her at the district when she was writing an email or filling out a long form, except she wasn't rushing; she was doing her hair.

Personally, he loved her hair. He didn't care how she did it; he just liked running his fingers through it. When he couldn't because it was in a ponytail or a bun on top of her head, he would still go up behind her and play with it as she cooked dinner or picked out her clothes. It was always really soft no matter what she did to it.

He also loved how it smelt like coconut.

When they were first partnered together, he couldn't figure out why his car was suddenly smelling like the beach whenever she was in it. It partially bothered him until he realized it had to have been her. Because he didn't want to accidentally insult her after already not being thrilled that he had a new partner, he asked her for lotion one day in the locker room. He was ready to finally have the answer to his question, but then she passed him an unscented, off-brand hand cream and he was more confused than ever about the coconut smell. It wasn't until Kim asked her two months later at Molly's about the shampoo that she used that he realized he'd been smelling her hair all along.

It became so engrained in his mind that when he went golfing with Will the following summer and put sunscreen on, he looked around to see if Hailey was nearby before realizing he was smelling himself.

After he'd needed to cover her while they were shot at in the back of the surveillance van, he swore he could have smelt her shampoo on his vest for the next week. And when she slept on his couch one night after having too much to drink, he could still smell coconut on the pillow she'd used the next day. He kind of loved it, at least, it made him smile.

He didn't realize at the time how much he'd actually liked her. It had to have been his head – or his heart – playing tricks on him all along. There was no way the smell of her shampoo could have stuck around everywhere for so long, but whenever he thought of her, it's what he smelled.

Right now, he could smell a hint of it in the air mixed with her vanilla bodywash. Now that they were married, the combined smell reminded him of home. He couldn't even think of what his old apartment smelt like.

Hailey then set the straightener on the counter and unplugged it before grabbing her brush to smooth her hair back.

"What're you doing now?" he asked.

She glanced at him in the mirror and said, "Putting it in a bun."

Jay nodded and took another sip of coffee.

Hailey smiled at him as she asked, "Want to try?"

"Me?" he asked.

She nodded and grabbed a ponytail holder off the counter to offer to him. "You know knots," she said.

He laughed and said, "But not with hair."

"Just do it," she replied with a soft laugh.

He stood up and grabbed the ponytail holder from her. Clearing his throat, he stared at her head before gathering her hair off the back of her neck. He slowly twisted it in his hand until it seemed tight enough to wrap the rubberband around. Only the second he let it all go, it fell limp against her head.

She laughed and reached back to tug the ponytail holder from her hair. "Watch," she said softly and began smoothing back her hair again. She held his eye contact in the mirror while parting and twisting her hair into a perfect bun at the back of her head. "Easy," she said, "What's wrong with you, soldier?"

Jay blinked at the tease then laughed loudly and grabbed her waist to swing her around the bathroom. "Rude!" he yelled through his laughter, "That was rude."

"Well, what the hell?" she laughed when he set her back down, "You were in the army for how many years and can't do a simple bun? BS, Halstead."

He smirked and shook his head. "You're such a liar – that was not a simple bun. Usually you just put it on your head."

"Yeah, well," Hailey trailed off then shrugged, "Today's different. It needs to look nice."

Jay hummed then leaned down to kiss the back of her neck. He nudged her ear with his nose and whispered, "I love your hair down, but this gives me a lot more room for this."

Her eyes fluttered close and she set her hands on his still resting on her hips. "Jay, you cannot leave a mark," she breathed.

"I know," he murmured against her skin. He placed one last kiss to her pulse then straightened up, resting his chin on the top of her head.

She opened her eyes to smile at him.

"Beautiful wife," he said softly and rubbed his thumbs along the bit of skin he could reach.

"You're too nice," she said then stepped out of his arms to grab her makeup bag from the drawer.

"Hail, come on," he replied and crossed his arms.

She sighed before again meeting his gaze in the mirror. He raised an eyebrow causing her to smile slightly and look away. As she began applying foundation to her face, she kept glancing at him, which just made her smile grow even more.

He smiled back at her then moved to lean against the counter.

She never put a lot of makeup on, and that was something he noticed right from the beginning of their relationship. It wasn't the first thing he ever noticed about her, but when they started staying the night at each other's apartments more and more once they were dating, he never thought she looked much different from the time she left the district to the second she woke up in the morning. The realization reminded him of just how beautiful she really was. He then liked to remind her every chance he got - she was beautiful, and she was loved; she needed to know.

After she put mascara on, she hesitated then looked at him. "What if I put more on?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Like more mascara," she said and held up the black tube, "Does it look like enough right now?"

He pursed his lips then slowly shook his head in slight confusion. "I…think so," he said, "You look really nice."

Hailey stared back at him before letting out a quiet laugh and putting all her makeup away. "I'm trusting you," she said.

He laughed with her and said, "Sorry, I just think-"

"Don't even," she interrupted and turned to put her finger to his lips, "I know what you're going to say and don't." She laughed through a wide smile and said, "You are much too nice. I appreciate it, but you've already called me 'beautiful' today."

"Oh, so I can't call you 'beautiful' twice in one day?" Jay asked.

She smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Just not twice within ten minutes," she clarified.

"Then I'll change my answer," he said, "I think you look gorgeous and pretty and sexy and incredible and-"

"Jay!" she yelled and laughed, "Stop. You're distracting me. Okay, where was I?"

"I don't know," he chuckled and moved to stand behind her again as she took a long sip of coffee. "I'm not a girl. I would have brushed my hair and called it done by now."

"No gel?" Hailey asked.

"Well, no, sorry, I would have used gel," Jay said.

Hailey stared at him as she drank her coffee then smiled against her mug and stepped back. "Let me see," she said softly.

"What?" he asked.

"You heard me," she said with a laugh. Sitting on the closed toilet, she said, "Your turn. Get ready."

He smirked then shook his head, but opened his drawer to grab his brush and hair gel out. He glanced at her happily sipping her coffee while watching him and laughed softly. "You're enjoying this," he said.

"Course I am," she replied, "Come on, dude, we don't have all morning."

He turned on the sink to flick water at her and laughed when she squealed quietly. "Settle down, I'll get there," he said.

"Mhmm," she hummed through a laugh.

Shaking his head, he started to brush through his hair while keeping an eye on her. She was smiling as she watched him and pulled a foot up underneath her knee.

"How's it look so far?" he asked as he squirted his gel in his hand.

"Handsome," she replied, "I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

"Laying it on thick, Halstead," he chuckled before looking back to the mirror to watch his fingers comb through his hair.

Hailey beamed at him then glanced down at her coffee with a flushed face.

He hadn't ever wanted to pressure her into changing her name, so he let her be the first to broach the subject. They'd been married about four hours and were lying together in bed when it happened.

Her pointer finger was tracing lazy circles on her chest as she quietly told him she hadn't made a final decision on changing her name, but that she was seriously considering it. It was good enough for him, so he kissed the top of her head, assured her he would support whatever she decided because it was her life, then held her as she softly told him how much she loved him.

It wasn't a huge concern for him, so the conversation easily slipped from his mind until Christmas a few weeks later. They hadn't gone too crazy on decorations in their new apartment, but they had a small fake Christmas tree and stockings hanging on the wall. He was going through his stocking that she'd jokingly filled with protein bars, socks, and two pairs of boxers when he found a small square box. Her face had lit up and she'd set her hot chocolate down to watch him slip the lid off of it. When he'd opened the box, he found her social security card. It took him close to five seconds before he realized it said Hailey Halstead and not Hailey Upton.

"Officially a family now, right?" she'd whispered.

"You were always my family," he'd replied before pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

He'd spent the rest of the day calling her 'Hailey Halstead' or 'Mrs. Halstead,' and she laughed every time with pink cheeks. He didn't care that she was still Upton at work to avoid confusion. She was Hailey Halstead at home, and it felt better than he'd imagined it would. He soon began using it as much as possible whenever they were together, and he loved how it sounded coming off his lips.

He quickly finished off doing his hair then washed his hands while thinking back to Christmas day when his bed-head had been in its prime. "Do you approve?" he asked.

Hailey smiled and nodded. "Perfect," she said, "Too bad you'll have to wear your hat."

He chuckled and shrugged. "It'll look good as I drive," he said.

Hailey laughed softly while placing her coffee on the counter and walking over to stand in front of him. She grabbed his hands against her hips and intertwined their fingers together.

"We look good, huh?" he said.

Hailey's smile widened in the mirror and she said, "Yeah, we do."

Jay bent down to kiss the top of her head then dropped her hands to wrap his arms around her.

Resting her head back against his chest, she whispered, "Do we really have to go? Can't they just record the ceremony or stream it?"

Jay chuckled and said, "Think we do, but watching it on our couch is very tempting."

"It'd be fun," Hailey agreed, "We wouldn't need to leave the house, we could drink more coffee…no pants."

"No pants, huh?" Jay chuckled, "I think I could survive the pants; it's the tie I'm not looking forward to."

Hailey smiled and said, "But I like when you wear the tie. Actually, I like when you wear the whole uniform."

"And I like when you wear it," Jay countered, "I know you're this perfect person, but when you put that on, and you look like a badass-"

"Jay," she interrupted with a laugh, "I do not."

"You do," he said, "An angel in disguise and I love it."

Hailey rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else as she continued watching him in the mirror.

Slowly, he swayed them back and forth. Her perfect bun was pressed into his chest, and her hands were lightly wandering along his arms. It might have been cheesy, but he'd meant it. She really was his angel – watching her this morning confirmed that.

Everything she did had a purpose. She was this beautiful person with a strong head on her shoulders, and she was his wife. He didn't know how he'd gotten so blessed to have this woman, who'd just gone through the worst and then climbed out of a hole more determined than ever to better herself, by his side for the rest of forever.

She put lotion on before her makeup and wore fancy buns after straightening her hair. She knew how to blow-dry her hair without budging the towel around her. She made drinking coffee in the morning the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

He was in love with her, and every day it just grew stronger and stronger.

She was his wife. It had been the best decision he ever made.


A/N: Hi there. I finished this the other day before the JLS news came out. After thinking about it and receiving so many of your kind messages, I figured I'd share this. I don't know if there will be any more oneshot Wednesdays, but I also don't want to say they're done for good. Maybe I'll need a break or maybe I'll have a huge rush of needing to write, I have a lot more started anyways. I just don't know. What I do know, though, is that writing for you all has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Thank you all for being such kind, supportive people. I don't know how I would have gotten through the past two years without you. - Beth