Chapter 3 – Flirting & Jealousy.
A few months later.
"I don't like it!" Kelly told Lexi who was sat in the passenger seat of his car outside Molly's. He had picked Lexi up from the precinct and drove them to Molly's. They were in the middle of a heated discussion so decided to wait before they went inside. "I saw the way he was smiling at you on scene today and I don't like"
"So what people can't smile at me now?" Lexi huffed "Kelly, he's my partner and friend, nothing more. I don't know how many times I need to tell you that!"
"Have you told him that?" Kelly wasn't shouting but his voice was raised above his usual volume and Lexi knew he was reaching boiling point.
"Yes! Jay is fully aware" Lexi got out of the car, she needed a drink and out of this argument.
Kelly followed her lead and got out of the car, jogging a little to catch up with her as she marched towards Molly's. "Well I don't think he got the message!"
"I'm tired of this fight Kelly. It's the same thing all the time" Lexi stopped outside Molly's door and turned to speak to Kelly. "Either deal with the fact Jay is my partner, that he's going to be around, in my life, or don't deal with it and walk away."
Kelly walked around her and in to Molly's without responding.
A few hours later Lexi sat at the bar with Shay beside her and Gabby stood behind the bar, serving customers and talking to them when she could. Lexi glanced over at Kelly at the other end of the bar.
Kelly stood with Cruz, Otis and three random women, flirting and drinking. The red head stood closest to Kelly, kept smiling, leaning in to him, touching his arm as she spoke. Kelly caught Lexi watching and gave the red head his best charming smile and put his hand on her waist.
Lexi had seen enough she looked away "Gabby, can I get a shot of tequila?" she asked.
"You two had a fight?" Shay asked as Gabby obliged and began pouring the shot.
Lexi nodded taking the shot and knocking it back. "How'd you guess?"
"You know he's only doing it to make you jealous" Gabby advised looking at Kelly. The red head had moved closer to him so was blocking the view of Kelly's face, but Gabby could tell he was doing his most dashing smile and he still had his hand on her waist.
"Yeah well it's working" Lexi groaned.
"I'm going to go talk to him" Shay began climbing off her stool.
"No, no" Lexi told her pulling her arm to stop her. "Let him do what he wants, I think it's his way of telling me it's over, but I'm not going…" Lexi's phone ringing distracted her seeing Jay's name on the caller I.D. "What's up partner?" Lexi answered tapping Shay's bar stool to tell her to sit back down.
"Lex thank god; I need your help" Jay spoke quickly. Lexi laughed, she knew he was on a date tonight, he must have wanted rescuing. "I called Adam, but he just laughed, you have to come save me"
Lexi chuckled. "It really that bad?"
"Yes, I'm hiding in the bathroom! I'd climb out the window if it were big enough!"
"Tell me where you are?" Jay gave her the name of the bar and told her to hurry "Just go back to the table. I'll get a cab and be there in like 20 minutes" Lexi hung up the phone and stood from her chair, she kissed Shay's cheek and put on her coat. "I'll see you at home later"
Jay sat at the table across from his date, Kate, her online profile had seemed quite standard, she was pretty in a quirky kind of way, they had exchanged a few messages and she had come across as someone who was smart and normal.
"Oh shit" Jay said looking up at the door of the bar as Lexi walked in.
"Really Jay?" Lexi said loudly as she got to the table pointing at his date.
"Lexi, come on, don't do this" Jay said standing up playing along trying to guide her back as if he were trying to get her to leave.
"Don't do this!" Lexi repeated, "I'm pregnant!" Lexi revealed to the entire bar "If you had bothered to pick up your damn phone, I wouldn't have had to track you down!" Lexi burst in to tears and turned to walk out of the bar.
"LEXI" Jay called after her. He turned back to the table and picked up his jacket from the back of the chair he had been sat in. "I'm so sorry Kate" He took some money from his pocket and put it on the table before chasing Lexi out of the bar.
Lexi waited around the corner from the bar for Jay to catch up, he was laughing as he approached her. "Nice work with the crying!" Jay praised her
"I thought it would make it more believable"
"Come on" Jay said checking behind him to make sure Kate hadn't followed. "Let's get out of here before she comes out" he suggested putting his arm around Lexi and walking down the street.
Lexi interlaced her fingers with his that hung over her shoulder. "Come on then, what did I just rescue you from?"
"Oh man! She was talking about her best friend Sarah for like 40 minutes" Jay began explaining. "All the places they had been, all the plans they had, then she takes out her phone and shows me a picture, of a dog, in a dress!" Lexi howled with laughter, tears streamed down her face. "It's not that funny!" Jay used his arm around her neck and their interlaced fingers to swing her in front of him, bent at the waist and threw her over his shoulder. All whilst she was still laughing.
"Jay put me down before you drop me!" Lexi laughed.
Jay continued to walk with her slung over his shoulder. "I blame you, you know"
"Blame me for what?"
"All these bad dates I have to go on" Jay stopped walking and put her down gently on her feet.
"How is your poor choice of tinder dates my fault?" she questioned looking up at him.
"If you would just accept the fact that you want me" Jay began stepping closer to her, he whispered "If you just gave in to me"
Lexi smirked up at him, he was trying to seduce her. "I'm spoken for"
Jay leant down so their faces were level, their noses brushing. "So, you do want me?" Jay asked noticing she didn't deny wanting him.
"I do want you" Lexi looked at him through her eyelashes "to take me for a drink" she remarked pushing him back from her laughing.
Kelly looked at the bar to see if Lexi was still watching him, he couldn't find her, she was gone. Shay was still there now talking with Burgess but no Lexi. Kelly excused himself from the group and walked to Shay. "Where's Lexi?"
"She couldn't watch you flirting anymore, so she took off about an hour ago" Shay told him, her tone of voice told him she didn't approve.
"I wasn't flirting" Kelly denied smirking a little.
"Kelly, I don't know what you guys are fighting about but whatever it is, she doesn't deserve you being a dick" Shay informed him "whatever's going on, fix it or don't, but if you are breaking up with her, you need to tell her straight"
"Breaking up? Who said anything about breaking up?" Kelly genuinely looked shocked.
"She seemed to think you having your hands all over another woman was your way of saying its over"
"I wasn't all…" Kelly protested
Shay held her hand up interrupting his protest. "Call her and make it right."
Jay and Lexi were playing pool at a bar not far from where Lexi had rescued Jay from his bad date. It was almost closing time; the place was practically empty. They had been drinking, laughing, having fun.
Lexi took her shot, potting the ball. "Can I crash at yours tonight?" she asked standing up straight and moving to the side so Jay could take his shot.
"Trouble in paradise?" he asked, Lexi didn't respond he looked up at her to see her too busy on her phone.
Message from Kelly: I'm sorry. Can we work this out?
Lexi: You strike out with the red head?
Kelly: Jealous?
Lexi: Dick.
Kelly: where are you?
Lexi: with Jay. Jealous?
Kelly: I'll come pick you up and I'll show you how jealous I am!
Lexi: Corner of 51st – Paddy's bar.
"What do I get if I make this shot?" Jay ask motioning towards the table, chalking the end of his pool cue.
Lexi laughed "just take the shot" she sipped her beer then put it back down.
"Come on" he walked to stand in front of her "let's make it interesting"
"What did you have in mind?" she whispered, stroking the exposed skin on his arm where he had rolled up his shirt sleeve.
The tone of her voice gave him goose bumps, he loved it when she flirted with him. The promise to keep their relationship professional since their undercover stint hadn't been broken, but it didn't mean they couldn't do some harmless flirting occasionally. But tonight, he was going to push his luck.
Lexi had told him about her fight with Kelly, about him flirting with some woman at Molly's so he was going to take a shot at her. Maybe make her see he was better for her then Severide was.
Jay couldn't stop thinking about her body underneath his, the feel of her skin against his, the sounds she made when he entered her and hit the right spot. "I make this shot, you come home with me" Jay propositioned.
Lexi looked him dead in the eye "you got yourself a deal, Halstead"
"Yeah?" Jay asked surprises she had agreed, "No bullshit"
"When have I ever lied to you?" it was a running joke between them about lying to one another. Obviously, they had lied whilst undercover but not since then.
Jay crouched over the table, setting up the shot, getting his eye line just right, he turned his head to look at Lexi who stood beside him watching the action unfold. "I'm not letting you back out" Jay warned her.
"Just take the shot Romeo" she demanded.
Jay pulled the cue back ready to launch it, he could tell the shot was going to be perfect, there was nothing in his way, he was going to sink the ball in the top corner then he was going home with the girl.
Simultaneously Jay pushed the cue forward as Lexi knocked her hip in to his knocking the white ball completely off his intended course. Jay stayed in position and hung his head, she had played him. He stood up smirking at her "Real funny"
Lexi laughed reading a message on her phone before picking her coat up, as she pushed her arms through her jacket she said, "see you tomorrow partner" she walked around the opposite side of the pool table to him, she knew if she passed him, he would tickle her or poke her in the ribs for tricking him.
"Need a ride?" he called after her, she waved her hand over the top of her head to tell him no as she exited the bar.
Jay put on his own jacket and left a few dollars by their empty beer glasses as a tip to the serving waitress before following her out.
He stopped walking seeing Lexi kissing Kelly. Kelly had pulled up at the curb outside and got out of the car, Kelly was leaning on the car, Lexi leaning in to him and kissing him passionately. "Let's get out of here" Kelly told her smiling, Jay thought he looked like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland, Kelly's smile couldn't get any bigger.
Lexi made eye contact with Jay and he couldn't help but think the little display had been for his benefit. Lexi wanted Jay to know that nothing could or would happen between the two of them, and if she had to show him by being with Kelly then so be it.
A few months later.
Kelly stood in the living room of the Shay family home. It was a picture perfect Hallmark Christmas scene. Log fire burning, an immaculate Christmas tree, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and siblings milling around, drinking and talking, enjoying each other's company.
Lexi and Shay had made Kelly spend the Christmas holidays with them. Their mother had made an amazing Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and now everyone was doing their own thing.
Kelly watched Lexi run from her 8-year-old cousin, Dylan, they were playing cops and robbers. Lexi had bought him a toy police badge, gun belt, gun, and handcuffs. Lexi ran behind the sofa, as Dylan chased her. "You'll never take me alive" Lexi shouted before doing a maniacal laugh.
Shay stood behind Kelly, resting her chin on his shoulder. "How's it going over here?"
Kelly chuckled watching Dylan pretend to shoot Lexi, who proceeded to limp as if she had been shot in the leg. "Perfect" Kelly told her.
Kelly had had a wonderful time with Lexi and Shay. Spending Christmas with his two favourite people couldn't have been better. Arriving Christmas eve, they had watched Christmas movies, ate their body weight in chocolate and cake, and drank too much. The only down fall had been, Walter, their father had made Kelly and Lexi sleep in separate rooms.
Shay moved her head so she could see Kelly's face better, "If you could see the smile on your face right now!" Shay smiled at her best friend.
Kelly laughed at her finally taking his eyes off Lexi and looking at Shay. "What?" Kelly asked "I'm happy"
"Your more than happy" Shay told him "oh my god, your totally in love."
Kelly watched her and then looked back at Shay laughing "I think I am."
Lexi yelled "I'm innocent!" as Dylan cuffed her and began leading her out of the living room to jail.
Shay and Kelly laughed at Lexi as she was marched out of the room, head hanging down. "Kelly Severide, in love, who would have thought it" Shay chuckled.
Kelly, Shay, and Lexi stood in the kitchen of the Shay family home, the children had all been put to bed leaving the ten adults to drink and talk.
Kelly and Lexi stood beside each other, Kelly's arm around her waist. They were listening to Lexi's Uncle Hank tell his latest fishing trip story. Everyone laughed and nodded in the correct places.
Kelly nudged Lexi's hair from her ear with his nose, kissing her cheek lightly he whispered, "I love you."
Lexi gasped a little and looked in to his eyes before kissing him lightly on the lips, "I love you too" she whispered back.
"Ah" Uncle Hank said loudly "look at that, young love" Lexi and Kelly laughed noticing all eyes had fallen on them. "How did you two love birds meet?"
"Shay introduced us" Kelly explained.
"You know she's never bought a boyfriend home?" Karen, their mother advised. "You must be special"
"Mom" Lexi groaned.
Kelly laughed at Lexi becoming uncomfortable at her Mom's revelations. "Hopefully I'm the first and last." Kelly stated.