i'm happy to announce that i'm back with an update. it took a while, and idk if i like it, but it's here. thank you to louise who's been a huge help with some ideas that are here in this chapter and some that will be coming soon. i owe you a lot.

now, without further ado, here's ch7. i hope you enjoy it. please do keep leaving your thoughts and comments.

i appreciate them. - belle xx

I wake up all of a sudden, shaking and drenched in sweat. I rub the exhaustion from my eyes and then blink a few times to get my eyes accustomed to the dark. It's pitch black.

When my eyes adjust, I find that I'm in the bedroom. But when I turn my head, Jay isn't beside me.

Frowning, I get out of the bed. I make my way over to the door and open it. I step out into the hallway and make my way to the living room. He's lying on the sofa, rather uncomfortably, by the looks of it.

My heart feels heavy with guilt as I realise he stayed out because I had basically snapped at him yesterday when all he'd been doing was care about me. That had really been his only crime: to worry about me.

But my temper had flared. Quietly, I make my way over to him. My heart breaks even more when I see that the position he's lying in must really be straining his back. Come morning, he'll be stiff.

This is torture.

"Jay," I whisper softly, crouching now beside the sofa. I gently touch his cheek and being the light sleeper he is, he's awake at the faint touch. And he's now sitting up.

Despite the sleep in his eyes, he looks quite alert. His gaze lands on me, and a worried frown creases his brow. "Are you okay?" he asks anxiously.

I move so that I'm sitting on the sofa next to him, my leg pressed against his. He's warm, as always.

"You're the one sleeping on the sofa, Jay, and your back must be killing you already. And your first thought is asking me if I'm okay?" I look at him, incredulous, but I can't deny that I'm oddly flattered by the fact that I'm his first thought.

Jay shrugs, but I notice the way he tries to mask the wince of pain. I'm now suddenly worried.

"You're already stiff, aren't you?" I ask.

"It's fine, Hailey," he replies.

"How is it fine? And, why are you even sleeping on the couch?"

"You fell asleep here first," Jay reveals. "I just transferred you to the bedroom."

Momentarily speechless, I force myself to find my voice again. "Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you decided to sleep here instead."

"It doesn't really matter," he replies, raising a hand to massage the back of his neck.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Look, about yesterday, I didn't mean to snap at you. And I know it's no excuse, but I'm just constantly worried. Booth is capable of horrible things and I don't want to give him the chance to prove me right."

Jay touches my leg, gently squeezing my thigh in reassurance and understanding. I wrap my arms around his lower back and rest my head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, the guilt of hurting him still tearing me apart from the inside.

I feel him press a kiss to my head. "I told you once, and I'll tell you again, Hailey. We're good. And we're always going to be good."

I smile as I reminisce the words he had indeed once told me before.

It's been a week since the unknown man attempted to break into Jay's apartment. So far, we still have absolutely no leads on his identity. This is getting to be too much for me.

I know Booth is out there somewhere, laughing at my expense. Slowly concocting his revenge scheme, perfecting it so that it's completely fool proof. And meanwhile, we have no way of getting ahead of him unless the unnamed man speaks to us.

I haven't been getting any sleep. At least, I'm not getting any proper sleep. It's usually interrupted by nightmares or even if I do manage to sleep some, it's only for a couple hours. And I know Jay notices.

He's my source of comfort when I'm plagued by a nightmare - one that usually involves Booth killing Jay in front of me. He's always there to remind me he's still here, his heart is still beating, and that it was just a nightmare.

And even as I breathe easier again, and let my heart rate go back to normal again, and let my body sag against his, I can't shake off the ominous intuition I feel deep in my gut. Things aren't going to stay this calm for long.

Booth doesn't work like this. He's brewing something dangerous. Something dark. And it's making me uneasy that I can't figure it out, despite my whole year undercover with him.

"Hailey, hey!" Kim's snapping her fingers in front of my face.

I blink rapidly, a little startled by her actions. "Uh what?" I ask confused.

Kim frowns. "Is everything okay, Hailey?"

"What? Yes. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, you're lost in deep thought. You didn't even hear what I asked," Kim replies sounding anxious.

"No, I didn't," I reply sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just this case. But I'm okay, Kim. What were you saying again?"

"I was saying, you coming to Molly's tonight?" Kim continues, thankfully not pressing me further about the case.

"Thanks for asking, but, I'm really tired," I admit. "I think I should call it a night."

"Alright, well, see you tomorrow then." Kim disappears down the bull pen stairs.

I grab my jacket from the back of my chair and head downstairs. I find Jay waiting for me at Platt's desk. He's talking to her.

When I reach them, Platt sends me a smile. "There's my favourite badass detective."

"Ouch," Jay pretends to be offended. I laugh and the sound of it literally brightens his face tenfold.

"Suck it up, Chuckles," Platt continues, even though her voice is filled with warmth. As we turn to head off, Platt stops us. "Listen, you two. Take care of each other." She sends us a knowing, triumphant little smile before getting back to her filing.

Jay and I share a glance, wondering how in the world she found out about us. With the whole Booth situation, we just never really found the opportunity to tell anyone about our relationship. Save for Adam and Vanessa, who already knew from day one and now apparently so does Sergeant Trudy Platt.

We get into Jay's track, the silence between us nowhere close to awkward. I look out the window, trying to get my mind off all the possible scenarios Booth can come up with.

"Hailey." Jay's got one hand on the steering wheel, while his free one comes to hold my clenched one. He slowly gets me to unclench it, even as he drives.

"I can't help myself, Jay," I whisper. "I won't ever admit this to anyone else, but I'm terrified."

"I know you are. Frankly, I'd be worried if you aren't," Jay tells me softly. "But you need to sleep. Doctor Will Halstead's orders, remember?"

I let a small chuckle escape. "How can I forget when he's messaging me for updates?"

Jay chuckles. "That's my brother for you. It's just because he cares."

"You're quite alike in that way," I remark. "What is it with you Halstead men being so...selfless?"

"Just part of the package, it seems," Jay replies winking at me.

I laugh, turning my head to look out of the window again. His hand is warm and mine fits perfectly in his. Like a puzzle piece.

We're almost home when his phone screen lights up, though it's clear he doesn't notice it. I don't know what compels me to do so, but I end up peeking a glance at the screen.

Allie: I need you, Jay.

I frown, my heart suddenly hurting. He wouldn't, would he? That's not the kind of man he is.

"Who's Allie?" I blurt out, fighting back any tears that are threatening to fall right now.

"What?" Jay sounds confused. And I don't know what to think.

Keeping my mouth shut, I get out of the truck as soon as he parks, and head upstairs to the apartment. I'm vaguely aware of the fact that he's saying something to me, but I don't want to hear it. Especially not if he's making excuses.

Stop it, I chide myself. What has he even done to make you think he's cheating on you? And how could he when he's been at your side practically 24/7?

Jay grabs my arm gently, spinning me to face him. I'm about to open my mouth and his mobile rings again. It's probably Allie.

I clench my jaw as I step out of his grasp, watching as he checks the caller ID. When he answers it, I want to walk away.

But I see his body stiffen. I see him grip the edge of the kitchen countertop to keep himself from collapsing. His knuckles are white from gripping the edge so tightly, and he drops his phone.

I forget my stupidity. Forget my anger. I reach for him, my hands gripping onto the collar of his t-shirt.

"Jay, what happened?" I demand, my voice firm but it still wavers slightly from worry. I've never seen him like this before.

"She's dead," he chokes out, not looking at me. I see the muscles in jaw tick.

"Allie's dead."