A/N - Sorry for the slow update. Illness and work being hectic really slowed me down, but my laziness is mostly to blame. Hope you enjoy this one.
Erin sat at the bar in Molly's, tearing at the label on the back of her beer. Her date was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. She contemplated leaving, but decided against it. She had to give this a try if she had any chance of trying to get over Jay.
Jay wouldn't have been late, she thought absent-mindedly. Or at least he would have let her know. She forced Jay out of her mind as she finally saw her date walk into the bar, looking around for her. She waved a hand and he walked over to the bar, a wide smile on his face.
"Erin, sorry I'm a few minutes late," he said, kissing her cheek in greeting. "You know how work is."
"No worries, Kelly," Erin replied, trying to keep her tone casual. "I get it. Busy day?"
"Oh, just saved half a dozen people from a burning building," he grinned. "Standard day in the office for the squad."
Erin smiled weakly. Jay wouldn't have boasted about work like that. She ran her hand through her hair and summoned up some enthusiasm.
"How about a drink?"
Jay sat at the dinner table at the Corson's, smiling at Gail as she brought in a pot roast.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Jay always asked but Gail waved him away as usual.
"Don't you move, Jay," she ordered him. "You've been working all weekend and the least I can do is make sure you're properly fed for once."
Allie laughed from next to Jay, nudging him with her elbow as she did so.
"That told you," she grinned and Jay looked suitably chastised before grinning in reply.
"I'll follow orders, just this once," Jay smiled at Gail. "But I insist you let me help you clear up once we're done."
"Not a chance, young man," Gail said as she scooped a more than generous portion of the roast onto Jay's plate. "Allie's only in town a few days and I know you two need some time to catch up."
"Mom," Allie groaned, her face flushing slightly. Gail was always trying to get the pair together and even though they had hooked up the last few times Allie was in town, it was embarrassing to have your mother play matchmaker.
"How about we all just tuck in?" Jay addressed the table, his face suitably blushed as well. "Don't want this lovely looking roast to go cold…"
Erin sat at the bar, trying to stay focused on a story Kelly was telling her. He hadn't asked her a single question in the last half hour. It wasn't like she minded hearing stories from other people, but she would have liked for a two-way conversation at some point during the date. She and Halstead always got on so well, able to chat for hours without either one of them controlling the conversation. Kelly just seemed to want to one up anything she told him.
"Erin?" Kelly's voice interrupted Erin's musings.
"Oh, yeah, that's really impressive…" Erin stumbled over her words but Kelly wasn't put off and took further encouragement. Before he could launch into another story, Erin stopped him. "Sorry, just need to visit the restroom, I'll be back in a minute!"
She walked away from the bar quickly, and made her way to the restroom where she splashed her face with water and just stood facing the mirror for a few seconds, trying to find the resolve to go out there again.
A girl emerged from a cubicle and smiled at Erin as she washed her hands.
"Rough date, huh?" The girl smiled at her. "I saw you out there looking like you were being bored to death."
"I've had better dates," Erin smiled. "I'm currently trying to persuade myself not to climb out of the window," she joked, gesturing at the tiny window causing the girl to start laughing.
"Give me your number and if you still look as bored in ten minutes, I'll call and give you an excuse to leave," the girl suggested, holding out a napkin and a pen.
Erin tried to convince herself that the date would get better, but she gave in within a few seconds and scrawled her number on the napkin. The girl took the napkin and left the restroom with a conspiratorial wink.
Ten minutes. That's all she had to survive.
Jay helped Gail to clear the dessert plates before he was shooed out of the kitchen to 'catch up' with Allie. With Allie rolling her eyes at the kitchen door, the pair made their way up to Allie's room and she lay on the bed, with Jay on the desk chair, his feet resting on the bed. Allie shot a cheeky grin at Jay and pulled the chair towards the bed.
"You can come on here, you know," she laughed. "Somehow I doubt my father is going to run up with a shotgun when he finds out you're in bed with his daughter."
Jay laughed and flopped onto the bed next to Allie, lifting his arm up and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. She pulled him close before slipping her hand underneath his shirt, drawing absent-minded shapes on his skin. Jay felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and he looked down at Allie, dropping a light kiss on the top of her head.
She looked up and after staring into Jay's eyes for a few long seconds, kissed him softly on the lips. He responded, but didn't take the kiss any further and pulled back after a few seconds. To his surprise, Allie broke out in a wide smile.
"I knew it! You like her," she sang.
Jay furrowed his brow, completely and utterly confused.
"I… What?"
"Every other sentence at dinner had her name in it," Allie smirked before putting on her 'Jay' voice. "You should have seen Erin take down this guy, it was amazing. Erin was so good with this kid who was a witness. Erin is the best. I totally have the hots for Erin."
"I don't sound like that," Jay protested weakly.
"And that's how I know," Allie said triumphantly. "You didn't even deny it!"
"You're the worst," Jay grumbled.
"It's what friends are for," Allie scrambled around so she was sat cross-legged before looking eagerly at Jay. "So, when are you going to ask her out?"
"That's where it all gets a bit complicated," Jay frowned. "It started like this…"
Erin was listening to yet another of Kelly's stories when her phone went off in her pocket. She shot an apologetic glance at Kelly and raised the phone to her ear.
"You look bored out of your mind," the voice of the girl from the restroom said in her ear.
"Mrs Humphries?" Erin replied.
"Nice, I like it," the girl laughed.
"Oh, the man in apartment 3B hasn't been bothering you again?"
"Yes, he's almost as boring as your date."
"I'll come home and have another word, he shouldn't be doing that."
"Backstory? I like it."
"No, it's no problem, you know you can call me any time, Mrs Humphries."
"Quick, ditch him!"
"I'll see you in twenty minutes. Thanks."
"Not a problem. I'm always here for a girl in need."
Erin hung up and turned to Kelly, trying to adjust her expression to seem disappointed.
"I'm sure you heard that, I've got to go," Erin explained rapidly. "My neighbour, well, her husband just died and she's been having issues with another tenant and I just have to make sure she's alright. Sorry I had to leave so soon, have a good evening!"
Erin nearly sprinted out of the bar and hailed the nearest cab. After giving her address to the driver, she relaxed in the back seat, glad the evening was finally over.
Allie sat in awe at Jay's story before finally starting to giggle.
"It's not funny!"
"You have to admit, it is a little bit," Allie grinned and Jay reluctantly smiled back.
"I guess," he admitted. "But what am I supposed to do? I was going to try and get over it by-"
"Getting under me?" Allie interrupted with a smirk and Jay put his head in his hands. "We all know how well that went."
"Don't rub it in," Jay scowled before shooting Allie a wry smile. "What am I supposed to do?"
"isn't it obvious?" Allie rolled her eyes and sighed. "Get the girl and then make sure I'm invited to the wedding. Simple."
"That's not simple at all," Jay complained.
"Not if you're sitting here moaning about it like a teenage girl," Allie shot back. "Get off your ass and tell her!"
Jay sat on the bed for a few seconds, his eyes filled with uncertainty. Allie handed him his shoes and gave him a look that suggested if he didn't pull himself together in the next few seconds, she was going to launch into a rant.
"Now, shoo!" Allie herded Jay towards the door and followed him down the stairs towards the front door. "I'll say your goodbyes, just go and get the girl."
Jay still looked in shock as Allie promptly shut the front door in his face.
Gail hurried down the hall in surprise as she heard the door slam.
"Is he leaving already?"
"He said to say sorry, but he had something really important to do," Allie informed her mother with a wicked grin.
"What did you do?" Gail stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing her daughter suspiciously.
"Nothing! Well, I just gave him a push in the right direction," Allie smirked. "He'll thank me for it later."
Erin sat on the couch with a bottle of beer, the game on in the background. She sat sipping her beer, not paying much attention to the television, when a knock on the door startled her out of her reverie. She put her beer down and wandered to the door, pulling it open.
"Jay?"
A/N – Let me know what you think. I went for a bit of a different style with this one so let me know if you liked it. And don't you worry, this is only the beginning. We've got a few more bumps in the road before we're done here.