Thank you all so much for your kind words. English is not my native language and I know I must have a bunch of mistakes in the stories I write. But I am so moved by the fact that you ignore them and chose to support my try. You are all truly amazing. Believe me when I say that I try my best to write in the best way possible the stories that I have in my mind.

You are the best fandom ever!

It was day 3 and they were still in quarantine.

There were only so many things they could do in the house, but hey made a pact. They would never allow themselves to get bored. So, they helped each other with the household chores, they went grocery shopping together, played video games, played board games, each one picked up a book and worked out together. If they felt like they were running out of options, the living room looked like needing repainting.

Vanessa only stayed for a couple of hours and then decided to go back to her secret boyfriend. Had she already missed him? No! She just wanted to give the two partners some privacy.

The clock was striking 7pm and according to their daily program, that meant dinner time.

Jay volunteered to play the chef since Hailey cooked earlier in the day.

He wasn't known for his cooking skills, but man did he know how to cook a mean pasta with sausages and red sauce. It was his favorite meal growing up and he regretted not spending more time with his mom to learn how to make it like she used to.

The smell of the hot sauce woke up memories. Happy memories from his childhood home.

"Hmm this smells delicious," Hailey took a long sniff as she entered the kitchen.

"It's almost ready," Jay tasted his creation with a wooden spoon and turned off the stove.

"How come you've never cooked for me before?" she approached him from behind and rested her chin on his upper arm in order to take a peak.

That simple gesture took him by surprise making him nearly drop the spoon.

"Well, you've never invited me to your house before," he said and walked away from her touch to grab the plates.

"That's not true. You've been at me house plenty of time," she protested.

"Yes, by choice. Not because you invited me," he pointed the spoon at her direction to make his point.

"In that case, you've never invited me either partner," she crossed her arms over her chest in defense.

"No woman wants to be invited to a man cave. You deserve a proper dinner with let's say…. Candles," he took out the matchbox and lighted the red stick candles on the dining table.

"Some music," he pressed play on his phone and soon the soundtrack of Game of Thrones, both their favorite show, started playing.

"Ok, if this thing starts playing the Rains of Castamere I am out of here," she laughed out loud.

"Don't worry my lady," he joked. The Lannisters won't be sending their regards tonight."

Soon, the table was set and they were eating and laughing their hearts out. To both of them, it looked like a staged date but both chose to ignore the signs.

All Jay wanted, was to please her. He knew that the only reason she invited him over was because she was worried about him being alone. What did he ever do to deserve her patience and tenacity? He had kept secrets from her and pushed her away whenever things got complicated. But she never abandoned him.

Truth be told though, the same went for him too. He always stood by her side. Right or wrong, good or ugly she could always place some of her burden on his shoulders.

A bottle of bottle later and they were already giggling over the silliest things. After all, that was all she needed. Some liquid boost to drive the conversation to where she wanted.

"Can I ask you something?" she hesitantly asked and took a long sip of wine.

"Anything," Jay nodded.

"If Erin came back one day, what would you do?"

That question was unexpected and felt like a knife through his heart.

"What do you mean?" he asked awkwardly and rubbed his light beard with his fingers.

"Would you consider picking up where you left from?"

Jay stared at his glass for a couple of seconds before answering.

"She left without saying a single word, without looking back. She never answered any of my calls. We haven't spoken to each other in three years. I am not the man I was and sure enough she can't be the woman she left."

No matter how hard he tried to hide it, the pain and sorrow were evident in his voice. In their three year partnership he had never mentioned her name or recalled any memory of her.

"Are you still in love with her?" Hailey knew she was walking on thin ice but she had to know.

Jay gave her a sad smile and looked straight into her blue eyes.

"Honestly? No!" he firmly stated. "I love her, I care about her but I am not in love with her. Not any more."

That was all the confirmation she needed. She took another long sip of wine and swallowed hard.

"Jay, there is something I have been meaning to tell you ever since I got back from NY."

"What?" his green eyes squinted in curiosity.

"Erin somehow found out that I was in NY and she called me. "

"Ok," Jay lowered his head and leaned back on the chair with his arms crossed.

"We ended up going out for dinner," she reluctantly went on.

"Is she still working for the FBI?"

"Yes, but she is on a long leave right now."

"Erin on a leave? Well, that's a first," he widened his eyes in surprise.

"Actually," Hailey bit her lip before finishing the sentence. "She is on maternity leave."

Jay's lips parted slightly in shock. His features froze and it was evident that for a second there, he caught his breath.

"Good for her," he cleared his throat and filled his glass with more wine. "Is she married?"

"No," Hailey shook her head. "At least not for now. She is engaged and they will be getting married after the baby is born."

She hated seeing him like that. Maybe it wasn't the eight time to drop the bomb after all.

"Who's the groom?"

"Her partner. From what she said it was love at first sight. He stood by her side and supported her from the first day she arrived in NY."

"That's good," he frowned his eyebrows and nodded. "Does Voight know?"

Hailey looked at him clearly avoiding to answer.

"Of course he knows," Jay scoffed.

"He is going to be the baby's godfather. Look Jay, I am sure Voight was planning on telling you at some point. But with you getting shot and everything, maybe he decided to wait a little longer."

"Was she happy?" Jay let out s deep sigh.

"I don't know her that well, but she genuinely seemed happy to me. She seemed calm. She also asked about you."

Jay picked up his gaze at the sound of that. "What did you say?"

"You know, that you are a pain in the ass and I can't wait to move to NY to get away from you," she joked to lighten the tension.

"Very funny," Hay forced a smile.

"I told her that you are good. I also told her that by leaving, she game the greatest opportunity ever. To have YOU as my partner. I wouldn't change that for anything in the world."

Jay looked deep into her eyes and he knew that she meant every single word. Truth was, he felt the same way.

He should be sad, devastated and heartbroken over Erin but he wasn't. He could have been the father of that baby, but now he wasn't sure he wanted it. He was happy with her bliss. It wasn't meant for them to end up together, he could see it know.

Proposing would end up being another huge mistake which he was glad he avoided. He didn't want to propose to her because he loved her. He wanted to propose because he felt like he owed her. It wasn't love, it was duty.

But sitting opposite to his blonde partner put his mind in thoughts. Was it duty that he was feeling for her too? No! It was definitely love. His heart could lie anymore.

"I would never change you either," he reached his arm, took her hand in his and gently kissed it. "From now on, no more secrets, no more lies. We are one!"

"We are one," she repeated and winked at him.

Nothing more needed to be said. Sometimes the silence speaks volumes. Sometimes it feels better not to talk at all. About anything.

They spent the rest of the evening curled on the couch watching a horror movie. They completely lost track of time and didn't even realize that they fell asleep together.

He was lying with his back on the couch while his hands were wrapped around her. She was sleeping right there, between his legs in the comfort of his strong arms.

Suddenly, she shifted slightly causing him pull her even closer.

"I love you," she muttered in her sleep and surrendered to his embrace.

"I love you too," he sleepily whispered and softly kissed her forehead before drifting off.