Once again thank you all for you support. I took into consideration all your suggestions so here is part b. Enjoy and can't wait to hear your thoughts.

All night he kept tossing and turning. Why the hell did he agree to this? And worse, why did he buy that damn pendant? He should have stuck with the sweater.

By 8 am he was already up and in the shower. For a moment he considered shaving but then, he remembered that Hailey was fond of his light beard. So, he just groomed it and spent the next half hour trying to find the perfect outfit.

Hailey didn't warn him. Was it a casual gathering or more formal? Should he wear a suit or just a pair of jeans? He stared at the opened closet debating whether or not to call Hailey and simply ask her or call Will for a second opinion.

No! Surely no Will, he wouldn't hear the end of it. Then again, he felt too embarrassed to call Hailey too.

He anxiously bit his lips and grabbed a pair of jeans and a green shirt to match his eyes. Of course he'd never tell anyone about that little fashion detail.

Before he knew it, the clock struck 11 and Hailey texted him that she was right outside. Always punctual!

She couldn't stop laughing once she saw him struggling to open the front door while holding all those bags and two huge bamboo plants. She also couldn't help but notice how charming he looked, his cologne flooding the car once he opened the trunk to place the gifts.

"What the heck are all those?" she laughed.

"Well I wouldn't meet your family for the first time on Christmas empty handed," he honestly replied and entered the car.

Hailey shook her head amused.

"Wait," Jay yelled before she turned on the engine.

"What? " she looked at him worried.

"I think maybe we should take my car."

"Why?" she looked at him confused.

"What are your brothers going to think of me when they see you are the one driving? Oh great, a house husband!"

Hailey just looked at him, not believing those words actually came out from his mouth.

"Jay, you are freaking out over nothing," she placed her hand on his leg to reassure him. "My brothers are pretty cool. I would never drag you into this if my family were some kind of weirdos. Well, they are weirdos but the good kind of weirdos. They don't give a rat's ass about petty things such as gifts or who drives the car. Trust me, you can relax now."

He didn't know what it was. Her soothing voice? Her piercing blue eyes? Her comforting touch? A combination of all of the above?

All he knew, was that he finally managed to take a breath and enjoy the ride.

Once they reached Alex's neighborhood Jay couldn't help but notice how nice it looked. Huge trees on each side of the road. Beautiful houses with front lawns. Kids playing with their bikes up and down the street. He rarely allowed himself to contemplate things like marriage , children or anything beyond his job. He couldn't deny it though, that place was perfect to raise a family.

"Seems Michael is already here," Hailey said as she parked the car outside a two stories stone house.

She helped her partner carry the gifts and she anxiously rang the bell. Jay took a deep breath but before he could let it out the door opened.

"Merry Christmas," the petit detective shouted and jumped into Alex's embrace.

He was way taller than her, her tiny figure got lost in his arms. His hair were also much darker than hers. He would never think they were siblings. But then he noticed his eyes. Those big blue eyes. Yeap, those were all Hailey.

Michael creeped right behind his brother pulling his sister for another long embrace. They genuinely seemed happy to see each other.

Jay awkwardly stood in the backround, secretly hoping that no one would notice him.

"Guys, this is my partner Jay," Hailey finally pointed towards him.

Both her brother's eyes widened in sock as they looked at each other.

"You're Halstead?" Alex managed to say.

"Yeap, that's me," Jay nodded and offered his hand for a handshake.

Michael stepped forward to greet his as well but couldn't stop laughing, conjuring a look of pure mischief.

Jay frowned his eyebrows looking at them. It was obvious there was an inside joke somewhere. A joke he did not understand. He just wished he wasn't the joke.

"What are you two laughing about?" Hailey jumped to his rescue sensing that he was getting a bit uncomfortable.

"Nothing," Alex said still laughing. "It's just, you never described your partner so we assumed we was older….much older….and probably bold."

"No," Michael shook his head. "You said he'll be bold. I said he'd be fat, like Ovelix level of fat."

Hailey turned to look at Jay smiling. "So, these two assholes are my brothers. Told you you would get along."

Once they walked into the house, they were welcomed by Gina and Jill, her brother's wives who were equally surprised by Jay's appearance.

As they walked into the living room, two little girls snuck up them and fell right into the arms of their favorite aunt, Hailey.

"These two little monsters are my nieces," she said while drowning them in kisses.

Damn it, Jay thought to himself. I should have bought more dolls.

Just like all kids at Christmas, their eyes landed on the bags that were holding.

"Are these for us?" they both screamed jumping up and down in excitement.

"You greedy little monsters," Hailey laughed at them. She had made a deal with both her brothers that each Christmas, instead of buying them gifts she would deposit an amount of money to their bank account. The kids might not like it now, but they we surely appreciate the gesture once they are old enough to understand.

Jay happily handed them the bags containing the dolls and left the rest on the side. Melissa, the younger one was thrilled by them. On the other hand, Arya, yes her brother had named her after the Game of Thrones character, didn't seem that excited.

"I am not sure she likes by gift," Jay nervously whispered into Hailey's ear.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "She's just not that into dolls. She is more of a tomboy."

"Just like her Aunt," Alex added.

"Does she like cars?" Jay asked.

"Are you kidding me? She loves them. She dissembles them and then piece by piece she builds her own version of a car."

"Well then I have the perfect the perfect gift for you," Jay sat on the floor opposite to her and gave her the bag with the cars and trucks.

Once she opened it her eyes lit in excitement and threw herself into Jay's arms.

"This is so cool, thank you!" she kept saying again and again.

The little kid gathered all her cars and run to her bedroom upstairs,

"That's it," Jill laughed. "Those will keep her occupied for the next week."

To Jay's surprise the next few hours just flew away. Hailey was right. Her brothers were cool guys and he was happy to finally meet them. Of course he would never admit it to his partner.

It had been years since the last time he spent Christmas with…. well, anyone.

For two years in a row he had spent the holidays in Afghanistan surround by war.

His mother got sick around Christmas and died exactly a year later.

His last huge fight with his father was on the Christmas table.

He had associated that day with pain and sadness.

Sometimes he felt so alone it was unbearable. All he had was friendly acquaintances, co-workers who had become the closest thing he had to a family and a brother who as always, was mostly absent. He had no connection to anyone.

He always avoided going out during that period because deep down inside he felt jealous. Jealous of the couple who walked by him holding hands. Jealous of the parents out on a shopping spree. Jealous of the children's blind faith in magic. Jealous of the people who believed in miracles. No, he was wrong there. He actually believed in miracles otherwise he should have died a thousand times by now.

The scar from his latest wound was still fresh as he unconsciously ran his fingers on it. An inch closer to the artery and he wouldn't be sitting on that table now.

Being in that house reminded him of his childhood and all those things he missed.

The immature sibling fights.

The smell of homemade dinner.

The presents underneath the Christmas tree.

The coziness of a family home.

And most importantly, how it felt to be surrounded by people you love and love you back.

The latest happy memory of Christmas he had, was when he was around 13. Will had dared him to jump into their plastic pool from the roof and boy he did. He had always been a daredevil rascal. It was a wonder how he reached adulthood without breaking any bones.

After hours and hours of embarrassing stories about Hailey, her brothers decided to turn their focus on Jay.

"So Jay," Alex started. "Hailey has been very secretive about you. All we know is that you've been partners for nearly 3 years. What's more to learn about you?"

Jay paused for a moment, taking a long pull of his wine.

"There is not much to learn honestly," he simply replied.

He could feel it coming. The interrogation! It was a wonder they waited for so long.

"Do you have any siblings?" Gina continued.

"Actually yes, I have a brother. He is a doctor over at Chicago Med."

Ok, that was an easy question. He could deal with them.

"How come you are not spending the day with him?" Michael jumped to ask.

"They are sort on staff so he volunteered to work the double shift."

Everyone nodded on admiration.

"What about your parents?" Michael asked again.

Here we go, he thought. He could feel Hailey's eyes landing on his. They stared for a brief moment as and once again communicated without actually saying a word. Thank God she was sitting right next to him. In a weird way he felt safe.

With a single look he reassured her that he was fine with all the questions, for now.

"Both my parents are dead."

"I am sorry about that," Jill softly said.

"What about your parents?" Jay regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.

The siblings gave each other a worried look. It was obvious that no one was comfortable to answer. Finally it was Hailey who jumped in.

"Our father died a decade ago. Our mother went back to Greece after that."

Jay reached underneath the table and grabbed Hailey's hand. He shouldn't have asked that question. It was evident that it had caused everyone uneasiness. Their fingers entwined as he looked straight into her eyes saying I am sorry.

"Do you ever think about quitting?" Alex asked breaking their silent moment.

"Quit what?"

"Your job."

"No, Jay shook his head. Being a cop, it is who I am. Good partners don't come easily. I am grateful that your sister came to our unit. I trust her with my life," Jay turned his head and smiled at her.

"What about your previous partner?" Alex was really poking into his past.

"She had another job offer and moved to NY," Jay replied trying to hide the sadness in his voice.

"She? Another female partner?" Michael teased.

"What can I say. I am bound to be surrounded by bad ass women."

"Aren't you ever worried about getting hurt?" Gina asked worriedly. "Every time we hear about something on the news, we fear about Hailey."

"It's the nature of our job. At some point we are all bound to get hurt, whether that means getting stabbed shot, beat up…. Anything. You just shrug it off and live to fight another day."

"Actually," Hailey interrupted. "Jay got shot a couple of months ago. That was like… what… the second time you've been shot?"

"Second time while partnered up with you. Fourth time overall. No…scratch that. Fifth time. I once took a bullet in Afghanistan too."

Everyone looked at him in owe. How could he speak so lightly about getting shot. Nearly dying?

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Jill decided to change the subject with a wicked smile and all eyes landed again on him.

"No," he could feel his cheeks flushing.

"Why?" Jill went on.

Oh you foxy little minx, Jay thought. You are not dropping this are you?

"I am taking a small break from relationships," Jay hesitantly answered.

"Bad break up?" Alex looked at his in understanding.

"You could say that," he sadly replied looking down at his plate.

He never got the closure he wanted with Erin and that's what hurt him the most. Yes, had screwed up by not mentioning his marriage. Yes, he screwed up by moving out of their house. But all he asked for was a break, not a break up. He needed some time to short his life out.

Even though Erin pushed everyone away after Nadia died and dived into self destruction , Jay was the only one to stay by her side. He was the one that believed in her. He was the one that waited for her. So, he figured she would wait for him too.

He understood why she chose to leave Chicago. He couldn't understand why she chose to leave him. No, not just leave him. Disappear. Not a message, not a phone call, nothing. In the beginning he used to blame himself. That he was the reason she left. He had even thought about visiting her in NY in a desperate attempt to bring her back. But what would happen if she rejected him once more. He wasn't sure he could take another hit. That would break him even more.

Hailey looked at him with compassion in her eyes. She knew enough about him to read his unreadable emotions. It gave them a unique connection she never had with anyone. Not even with Garret.

She loved him. There was no doubt about that. Call it love between friends, partners or simply between a man and a woman. It was love nonetheless. No matter how hard she tried to burry that feeling, it always found a way to resurface. Would she ever find the courage to open up to him? Why was she so scared? Was she trying to protect herself? Was she trying to protect him? Was she trying to protect them both?

Little did she know that Jay had the exact same thoughts. Seeing this carefree version of her made him realize how hard he was falling for her. He loved her smile, her dimples, her big blue eyes. He loved how the wind messed her hair. How she would cover herself with layers of clothes when it was cold. He loved how she pretended to love horror movies but she secretly closed her eyes during the scary scenes. He loved her knock on his door. The adrenaline, the adventures, the job, they held no appeal to him anymore. He just wanted a home, with her!

Before they knew it, it was already dark and time to go back home. Her family had put him under the spotlight but he didn't mind. He truly enjoyed their company and couldn't wait to see them again. He had forgotten how a bonded family looked like.

As they reached their parked car Jay noticed the mistletoe hanging from the tree above them. He looked at it and the diverted his look to Hailey.

"Do you know what that means?" he said with a wicked smile while pointing the mistletoe.

Hailey just stood there clearly surprised at what he was suggesting.

"It's bad luck if we don't," Jay took a step closer to her.

They both wanted it, yet they were both afraid.

Finally, Hailey stepped forward, her lips parted slightly only a breath away from his. Jay caught his lower lip his teeth as if contemplating his suggestion. Time seems to stop as he looks down into her eyes. He cupped her cheek with his palm, his thumb softly caressing her soft skin. That was the closest they'd ever been, either on duty or off. Regardless of what would happen next, he knew he'd cherish that Christmas day for the rest of his life.

The build up was killing him. He slowly leaned forward and brought his lips to hers. With one hand still on her cheek he moved the other at her lower back. He could feel her tremble under his touch. To his surprised she returned the kiss, brushing away all his insecurities.

Without any hesitation Jay deepened the kiss as his tongue found hers and a soft moan escaped her lips. They pulled each other closer as if there was no barrier between them.

Their breaths were becoming heavy while their hands tightened their grip on each other. He had to stop now, otherwise he wouldn't be able to stop at all.

He pulled back breathless as he rested his forehead on hers, his hand still cupping her flustered cheek.

They both break into laughter in an attempt to break the tension.

"Well, that was….interesting," Hailey said licking her lips.

"Not exactly the word I'd use," Jay smiled while he brushed his lips with his thumb, still tasting her.

The both entered the car giggling like two teenage kids, their hearts still racing like a crazy train.

No one said a single word on the way home. There was no need. Their bodies did all the talking.

Once they reached Jay's apartment, she stopped him before exiting the car.

"Hey, about… earlier….. I don't think we should…."

"It was just a kiss under the mistletoe, " Jay softly smiled at her.

"Crap, I almost forgot," he nervously took the little black velvet box out of his pocket. "This is for you."

Hailey looked at him in disbelief as he handed it to her.

With trembling hand she opened it and gasped in surprise.

"Jay, you shouldn't have. It's beautiful. "

"Here, let me help you," he took the pendant out of the box and carefully put it around Hailey's neck. "You're lucky I didn't get you what I initially had in mind."

Hailey couldn't stop from caressing her new pendant. Apart from their everyday coffee, Jay had never bought her a gift. It was too intimate and their partnership was everything but intimate.

"Well, since we are exchanging gifts," Hailey opened the glove department and took out another small black box.

"I've had this for a while, but I wasn't sure if I'd ever give it to you."

Jay opened it and a sad smile escaped his lips. "You didn't," he whispered.

Hailey had also turned a bullet into a pendant hanging from a long chain.

"It's the bullet that nearly killed you. I wanted you to keep it, as a reminder! What doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger."

"What doesn't kill me, only pisses me off," Jay tried to joke.

"Thank you," he nodded closing his eyes in gratitude as he put the chain around his neck.

"So, partners?" Hailey looked at him still flushed at the thought of their kiss.

"Merry Christmas partner," Jay softly smiled at her and got out of the car.

Before opening the front door he turned around for one last peek at his partner. All the sad memories of past Christmases were magically gone. He had built a new memory. New foundations for the Holidays to come. New plans. And Hailey was the most crucial part of his plans.